


Lonely No More

by ManU4ever



Category: Criminal Minds
Genre: Anal Sex, Blow Jobs, Explicit Language, Explicit Sexual Content, Homophobic Language, M/M, Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2012-06-13
Updated: 2013-03-04
Packaged: 2017-11-07 16:03:42
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 13
Words: 24,555
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/432960
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ManU4ever/pseuds/ManU4ever
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Hurt by Morgan, Reid begins to date a mysterious man. As the older profiler become more and more jealous of the couple, he starts to struggle with his sexuality, his past and his feelings for his young co-worker. <br/>Beta'd by Taomerline.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Morgan always wanted to settle down and had kids but after all these years, he finally accepted that it would never happen because he wouldn't allow himself to become emotionally close to anyone else. That's why he didn't date, and just slept around.

The truth was that he  _couldn't_  maintain any type of romantic relationship because he was damaged, and he'll forever blame Carl Buford for that. Those years of being sexual abuse by his mentor caused Morgan's trust issues.

During his first year at college, he realized his sexual attraction towards men. There had been tons of girls on campus who had attracted Morgan, and he'd had his fair share of them but there had also been many guys who were easily impressed by Morgan popularity, and his physique. Morgan took what he wanted from them, when he wanted it. He used them purely for physical release. He never felt any emotions towards them. He never cared about their satisfaction, only his own.

Even now, Morgan could never imagine himself having a relationship with a man, let alone falling in love with one. He refuses to accept his homosexuality and always responds very angrily whenever anyone doubts, or questions, his sexuality.

Almost every Friday night, Morgan hung out with his teammates, or at least some of them. Tonight was no exception, and they needed it badly. On the second round of drinks, Morgan took a sip of his cold beer, leaned back in his chair, relaxed, and said, "Thank God, it's Friday!"

The bar was full of men and women looking to dance, to drink, to hookup, or just to relax after a long, hard week. Usually, Morgan made himself available to all of the available ladies, but not tonight. He already knew whom he wanted to be with tonight. When he saw Reid, the last of the team to arrive at the bar, he immediately thought  _"Damn, I must have him tonight!"_. The young man was sporting a sexy new haircut and looking unbelievably hot !

For months, Morgan had successfully resisted making his move because he didn't want to cross the lines between work and his private life. Though lately, that line didn't seem to matter to him so much, and Morgan was determined to make his move later on tonight, in private of course. Because the one person Morgan had been wanting was Spencer Reid. Morgan had known for a long time that Reid was bisexual. What he didn't know was if Reid was interested in  _him_ , sexually.

Around 11:00 pm, Reid stand up and say his goodbyes to Garcia, Kevin, and Prentiss and left the bar. He started walking towards the taxi station, when he heard Morgan calling out his name. Reid stopped and turned around, as Morgan rushed up to meet him.

"Hey, Morgan, I would have said goodbye, but I didn't want to interrupt anything." Reid said, smirking a little.

"That's okay. Do you need a ride, Pretty Boy?" Morgan smiled, knowing that Reid didn't bring his car.

"No. Thanks. I'll just grab a cab." Reid replied. He didn't want to make Morgan lose out on any action.

"You're sure? It's no problem at all." Morgan said, hoping to have some private time with Reid.

Reid looked at his best friend for a few seconds, and decided that it was stupid to decline Morgan's offer. It was late on a Friday night, and he'd have to wait a long time for a taxi, so he said, "Ok. Thanks."

* * *

As Morgan drove, Reid noticed that Morgan was unusually quiet. They were both a little tired, but that had never stopped Morgan before from finding something to chat to, or to tease, Reid about.

"Is something wrong, Morgan?" Reid asked, confused. He had noticed Morgan's odd behavior at the bar.

"No, why do you ask?" Morgan replied, trying to sound casual.

"Well, tonight you didn't dance or flirted with anyone, despite all the women coming on to you." Reid explained.

As Morgan pulled up and parked in front of Reid's apartment building, he was a little nervous and chucked lightly. He figured if he didn't make his move now, then he probably never would. Morgan turned towards Reid, looked him straight in his eyes and said "I already knew who I wanted to be with tonight." Reid wondered whom Morgan was talking about. Just as he opened his mouth to ask, Morgan leaned over and gave Reid a hard kiss.

Reid was very surprised. The idea of Morgan being gay, or even bisexual, had never ever crossed Reid's mind. He had only thought of Morgan like a big brother and his best friend, never sexually. Sure, Morgan was very handsome and charming, but Reid had never thought of him that way. Nor, had Reid ever imagined in a million years that Morgan would think that way about him.

Morgan finally broke the rough kiss and leaned back into his seat, still looking into Reid's eyes.

"I don't understand." Reid said. He was turned-on, a little, but very confused about that kiss.

"I want you, Pretty Boy. Are we gonna do this, or not?" Morgan asked, straight-faced and serious. He gave Reid a few seconds to think about it.

Reid quickly weighed the cons against the pros. He thought about the trouble this could create: his work and friendship relationship with Morgan and the team's reactions if they found out. Not to mention how awkward he thought it would be to have sex with his best friend. He also thought about how bad things had been for him lately, because of JJ's transfer and his mother's recent medical problems. It had also been a while since he had been intimate with anyone. Reid decided that he deserved a little distraction from his troubled days, so he said, "Yeah."

* * *

Neither of them spoke as they slowly made their way up to Reid's apartment. This was an unusual situation for Morgan. He went to gay clubs when he wanted to have sex with men. He never went to their place, and he definitely never invited them to his. Morgan knew Reid wasn't a guy who just sleep around and he could never act like a boyfriend to Reid, or anyone, thanks to Buford. Yet, none of these thoughts made Morgan change his mind. He knew he shouldn't use Reid like this, but he really wanted to fuck him tonight.

As soon as they entered Reid's apartment, Morgan dragged Reid into the bedroom. He shoved Reid up against the wall and gave him another rough kiss. Morgan abruptly broke the kiss, stepped back, and told Reid to strip. Morgan ordered Reid to get on the bed, hands and knees. Morgan took his clothes off, climbed onto the bed and knelt behind Reid.

Morgan took a condom from his wallet and put it on, then stroked on some lube. Reid was used to two-way conversation when he was being intimate with someone, but Morgan hadn't said another word to him. Reid felt embarrassed knowing that Morgan had just stood there watching him. As Morgan continued doing nothing, Reid began to wonder if Morgan had changed his mind, because Reid was definitely having second thoughts himself.

This whole thing was really awkward and humiliating to Reid. He was used to a lot of hot and passionate foreplay. Reid was about to look back and say something, when Morgan suddenly grabbed his hips and started pushing in without forward preparation. Morgan barely gave Reid a second to adjust before he started thrusting.

"Fuck! You're so tight." Morgan exclaimed, gruffly. "You like having my hard cock in your tight ass. Don't you, Pretty Boy?" Morgan said, as he began slapping Reid's ass and fucking him hard.

Morgan stopped slapping Reid's ass when he noticed that Reid didn't like it and began slamming into him so hard, that Reid had to hold onto the headboard to keep himself in place. Reid felt cheated. He expected a lot more from his partners. Whether they made love, or fucked hard, they always talked to each other, and caressed and kissed each other's bodies. Reid was disappointed because that obviously wasn't Morgan's kind of thing.

Morgan was always rough when he fucked guys. He wasn't violent with them. He didn't beat on them, or anything like that but he treated them like they were objects and they were usually like it. Morgan then kept one hand gripped on Reid's hip, reached over with his other hand, and grabbed onto Reid's shoulder for better leverage.

After a few more thrusts, Morgan came hard, shouting out, "I'm coming!" tightening his grip on Reid's hip and shoulder until he finished then he quickly pulled out and climbed off the bed.

Morgan tossed the used condom into the wastebasket and got dressed. He didn't know what to say to Reid, so he didn't say anything. Now all Morgan wanted, was to get the hell out of there. Morgan never let them touch  _his_  ass, and he never ever let them fuck  _him_. He'd had enough of that from Buford, and swore he'd never let anyone do that to him again. Morgan let guys give him handjobs and blowjobs him, but he never returned those favors.

Reid still fully erect lay there, saying nothing and looking his ceiling. If Reid was just some other guy, Morgan would have done what he usually did. He would have simply walked out, not even saying thanks, whether the guy had gotten off or not. The problem was Reid wasn't just some other guy, he didn't want to have to touch Reid's cock but he felt a little bad about leaving his friend and co-work like that. He stood next to the bed, looking down at Reid's hardon. Morgan heaved a loud disgruntled sigh. He sucked his teeth and in a very discouraging tone) said, "You want me to take care of that?"

Reid didn't say anything. He was very disappointed in Morgan. Also, he was angry with himself for letting Morgan treat him like a piece of shit. Reid's cock had been hard ever since he had climbed onto the bed. Now he was extremely uncomfortable, and his balls and cock were aching for release. Reid hadn't had any time, or encouragement, to jerk himself off because he'd had to hold onto the headboard with both hands all the time Morgan was pounding into him.

After the way Morgan had treated him, Reid was surprised that he had finally spoken to him. Morgan's tone made it crystal clear that he was eager to leave, and that he didn't give a shit about Reid's release. Reid cleared his throat and quietly said, "It's okay, you can leave if you want." as he slowly started getting up from the bed. He knew Morgan was going to leave, and he wanted to relock his front door afterwards.

Morgan took a step back, when Reid started to climb out of bed. Morgan didn't want to be involved in any kind of goodbye scene. Morgan turned and as he walked out of Reid's bedroom, he looked over his shoulder and callously said, "Don't bother, I'll let myself out. Goodnight, Reid."

When he heard Morgan closing the front door behind him, he sat on his bed and jerked himself off. After he locked his front door and took a hot shower, he felt asleep wondering how Morgan was going to react the next time they saw each other.


	2. Chapter 2

The next Monday, before he went to work all Reid hoped that this intercourse wouldn't destroy his friendship with Morgan or how well they worked together. Reid was sure that Morgan considered tonight as a quick one-night stand. There hadn't even been any affection when Morgan first kissed him in the car, even that had been done roughly. Reid knew he had made a mistake, and should never have agreed to do it but what's done is done.

At work, Morgan's attitude proved to Reid that he was right. Morgan acted as if nothing had happened between them and frankly Reid was glad about that. He had never thought of Morgan in the sexual or sentimental way and last Friday night intercourse didn't change that.

Three weeks passed with no mention, or any strange looks between them, about that night until the team had just returned home from a tragic case. Everyone was really affected, especially Morgan.

He showed up, uninvited, knocking at Reid's door. For a fraction of a second, Reid thought maybe Morgan wanted to talk like they used to do after really bad cases but he was only somewhat surprised when Morgan simply pushed him on the couch and fucked him hard and fast then after Morgan came and pulled his clothes on, he quickly walked out whispering goodnight and slamming Reid's door behind him.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

After that, every time the team had a very bad case Morgan showed up at Reid's apartment, unannounced and uninvited. Morgan always fucked Reid hard leaving deep bruises on his hips and shoulders from gripping him so tightly. It was more than clear to Reid that Morgan was just using him as a stress-relief/sex toy. Yet, whenever they were in the office or in the field, the older profiler acted like he used to when they were just friends. Still caring for, and protecting, his little brother.

For a while, Reid didn't say anything, or ask any questions, when Morgan would show up and use him. For a while, Reid didn't make any outward objections to Morgan because in some weird way, he felt less alone.

After few intercourse, Reid realized that he needed more in his life than just rough quickies with someone who didn't give a damn about him. He wanted someone to spend the night occasionally, to wake up next to someone, someone with whom he could talk and laugh. Reid wanted to be in a boyfriend-type relationship, with whomever was going to keep having sex with him so one night, once Morgan left Reid's apartment after another rough fucking session, Reid had finally made up his mind. He was tired of Morgan's behavior and was going to have a serious talk with him.

He knew that it wasn't going to be easy holding that conversation. Morgan was the stereotypical alpha male and ladies' man, and just like most gays who were still in the closet, talking about his homosexuality was a taboo subject for Morgan but Reid needed to have an open and honest conversation with him.

Reid had never been, and had never wanted to be anybody's fuck-buddy, or sex toy. Sure, like most people, Reid had previously enjoyed the occasional one-night stand, but he was always looking to meet the right person and have a healthy relationship.

That's why when Reid woke up, he was determined to talk to Morgan and was going to give him an ultimatum: start treating him right, like a boyfriend, or stay the hell away from him. Reid knew that it was going to be a long day regardless of how things turned out. He took a quick shower and ate a small breakfast, then got ready for work.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

All day at work, Morgan acted like he'd been acting, as if nothing was going on between them. It was Friday and Reid knew Morgan worked out in the FBI gymnasium like he did every Friday, right after work so Reid had decided to wait Morgan in the locker-room.

When he entered in the room, he saw and heard Morgan talking and laughing with Archie Owens and Allan Stanley, who both worked in the Counter-Terrorism Unit. Reid didn't want to interrupt the conversation so he leaned against the wall, patiently. He wasn't hiding, or snooping, but no one took notice of him.

"So, Morgan, any plans this weekend?" Stanley asked.

"I met a sweet chick yesterday. I'm taking her out to dinner tonight, so yes! I have quite a plan for her." Morgan said, followed by a dirty laugh.

"Wait, a chick ?" Owens asked intrigued.

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" Morgan asked, his entire expression and his body stance had turned extremely aggressive.

"I'm sorry, Morgan." Owens said. "I was sure that you were gay. Don't get me wrong, man. I don't have any problem with gays. My brother is gay. I meant no offense. It's just that you're always hanging out with that tall skinny kid, and we know he's gay. That's why we thought you were, too." Owens explained as Stanley nodded his head in agreement.

"You listen to me carefully, both of you, because I'm only going to say this once. I'm. Not. A. Fag. Understood?" Morgan shouted, as he stepped up into Owens' and Stanley's faces.

Owens snarled at Morgan, and said, "Like I said, my brother is gay, so show a little respect. I'm sorry if I offended you, but don't you use that word in front of me. Do you hear me?"

Morgan had always considered himself a tolerant man. His mother had raised him to respect everybody and he never cared people's sexuality but the problem was that Morgan had grown up in a very homophobic neighborhood, played college football with a very homophobic team, and was a Chicago cop in a very homophobic police department. He lived and worked in a macho man's world surrounded by people who firmly believed in that sad, old universal truth: If you're gay, you're not a real man. He took it badly if/when someone is questioning his virility, mostly because he'd never really come in terms with his past as a victim.

Morgan, ashamed to his words, took a deep breath, and said, "I'm really sorry, Owens. I do have respect for gays. I apologize. Okay?" Morgan raised his head when he finished speaking, and that's when he finally noticed Reid standing there.

Morgan was stunned, as he looked at the horrific expression on Reid's face. Morgan had never before seen Reid express anything even close to that look. Morgan just stood there, silently ashamed of himself, again. Reid said nothing, as he turned and quickly walked away. Owens and Stanley had turned to see what Morgan was staring at behind them. They only saw Reid quickly walking away. They hadn't seen his expression.

Morgan wanted to go after Reid and apologize to him, but he didn't. It seemed that it was a known fact, to Morgan, that there were agents in the bureau who thought he was gay. If Owens and Stanley thought that, then there were bound to be others. Who knew how many other agents thought the same thing? Morgan refused to now be seen chasing after Reid, for anything non-work related. Any scene like that could damage his reputation but also his job in the BAU. Plus, he couldn't bear knowing, let alone hearing any nasty comments or name calling behind his back.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Reid practically ran all the way to his car, which was parked in the garage a few floors below. He was so glad that he had chosen to drive in to work today, usually he didn't. By the time Reid got home, he still hadn't calmed down. Yet, as upset as he was, Reid was glad that he had gotten an answer to his ultimatum. He just wished that it hadn't been such a crude and coarse kind of answer, straight out of Morgan hateful mouth.

Reid had no problem being with someone who felt that they had to hide their own sexuality. However, he refused to be with any one that hated who and what he was and that was obviously the case with Morgan. Reid felt so betrayed. It took him years to finally believe that Morgan was a real friend, and his best friend but now Reid had to admit to himself that he wasn't really surprised. He never really understood why Morgan was his friend. Sure, with their job and what they've been through, it was understandable that the team became very close but it couldn't explain everything.

After all this time, he has to recognize that he never knew who Morgan really was and he didn't know if he could ever forgive Morgan, or if he even wanted to try.


	3. Chapter 3

As a teenager, Morgan had trouble fitting in but his life changed when he joined his high school's football team. From a nobody he became the star of his school. His friends were were popular but they were jerks. Morgan hated having to say hateful words or act like them but he had to. Being under the spotlight made his life much simpler and easier.

His new status allowed him to go out with almost every girl in school, but he never had sex with them. Morgan was aroused and excited by the girls, but he never got sexually physical with them because he wasn't comfortable with sex. Every time he touched or explored himself, like any other teenager, Morgan could feel Buford's hands all over his body. It felt even worse when someone else tried to touch him. His lack of sexual experience was also due in part to Buford telling him that the only thing these girls wanted was to get pregnant, so they could trap a future football champion. Naturally, Morgan believed his mentor.

It wasn't until Morgan started College, that he finally realized that it was another Buford's ruse to control his life. It wasn't long after that realization that Morgan swiftly earned himself a Casanova's reputation among the college girls. Everything was going fine until one night, very drunk, he fucked one of his frat buddies. Despite the fact that it was the best sexual experience in his life, Morgan convinced himself that he was not gay. Even after several quickies in gay bars' restrooms and the admission that he took more satisfaction in fucking men than women, he still refused to consider himself gay.

When Morgan injured his knee stopping his football player career, he graduated from college and he joined the Chicago PD then the FBI but still continued to maintain his reputation as a ladies' man; thus ensuring that no one ever questioned his sexuality. Despite the many rumors on the job, Morgan never crossed that line between his professional and personal lives. Until he slept with Reid.

When he started working with the genius, Morgan hadn't anticipated having any kind of sexual relationship with Reid. He saw Reid like a little brother, a kid who needed guidance; but over the years, the young man had become more independent and he began to see him in a whole different way. The first time he'd had sex with Reid, Morgan had told himself that it was an ordinary one-night stand; but there really was something different about Reid. Morgan felt compelled to continue having sex with him.

Though he was sure that Reid was using him, as well, Morgan felt bad about using his friend for sex and he knew that soon or later, Reid would want the two of them to sit down and talk. For Morgan, it was a big problem because discussing his sexuality would make it a reality, something he didn't want to face but things changed when Reid heard him his comment.

Now, Morgan had to take the first step to repair his friendship with Reid and to apologize, he had tried a dozen times to call his colleague. In vain.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Reid spent his whole week-end avoiding Morgan's calls. He didn't want to hear Morgan's pathetic excuse. Monday morning when Reid woke up, he thought about calling in and asking for a few days off; but then he realized that he shouldn't be the one made to suffer.

He pulled himself together, prepared himself for the day ahead, and took the subway to work. The worse part was that he couldn't entirely blame Morgan for treating him as a sex-toy, because the older man never forced himself onto him. In some ways, Reid was glad to witness Morgan's outburst because now he definitely knew that he didn't want to be with someone like Morgan.

By the time that Reid arrived at the FBI's elevator, he was so deep in thought that he bumped into a man and spilled his coffee on someone. The man was very athletic looking, 6' tall, white, dark hair, dressed in suit, and appeared to be in his early thirties. "I'm so sorry!" said Reid, as he pulled out some tissues from his messenger bag. Feeling very embarrassed, Reid handed the tissues to the stranger.

"No, it's okay. Luckily I have a spare shirt. My first day is starting off very well," said the man, as he smiled while wiping his white shirt. They both stepped into the crowded elevator.

"Here's my card. Please call me, and I'll pay the cleaning bill." said Reid.

"Dr. Reid from the BAU," said the man reading the card. "I'm Cooper O'Neill, and what if I want to call you for something else?"

"Like what?" Reid asked. He felt confused, and wondered if the guy was actually hitting on him.

"I don't know. Coffee? Dinner?"

"You mean like a date?"

"Maybe? Only if you're interested, of course," Cooper said, flashing his beautiful smile.

"I'll think about it. This is my floor, I have to go."

"Ok, Here my number. Call me if you want," said Cooper, as he wrote down his number, tore off the piece of paper, and handed it to Reid. "And don't worry about the bill. Have a good day, Dr. Reid."

Reid sat down, as soon as he reached his desk. He was speechless, and sat there looking at Cooper's phone number on the slip of paper. Reid couldn't believe that in the middle of a crowded elevator, Cooper had basically asked him to go on a date. Reid appreciated the straightforwardness of this gesture. Cooper seemed to be the kind of man who wasn't ashamed of his sexuality, and who didn't care about others opinions. Plus, he was hot. Maybe this was the change that Reid needed in his life.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

A couple of hours later, Reid picked up his phone. He dialed Cooper's number, even though he wasn't really sure what he was going to say. It wasn't Reid's nature to call someone he'd just met, and invite them out. But he did want to see Cooper again.

After the phone rang a few times, it was answered, "Cooper O'Neill."

"Hi, it's Dr. Spencer Reid. We meet this morning. I'm the man who ... " Reid began, but he was cut off.

"Yeah, I remember you. You're the man who ruined my favorite shirt," joked Cooper. "What can I do for you, Dr. Reid?"

"I was wondering if you wanted to have lunch with me today?" Reid asked, preparing himself for a no.

"Ok," Cooper simply replied.

"Meet you outside the main entrance at 12:00," Reid said, happy to have received a positive answer.

"See you there."

"See you," replied Reid, smiling as he hung up his phone.

Reid had never taken the first step before, and that was why he didn't have anybody in his life. He decided to change all of that because he was tired of being alone. He wanted to have someone special in his life. He didn't know if Cooper was that someone, or not, but he wanted to find out


	4. Chapter 4

As promised, Reid was waiting outside the main entrance. He smiled when he saw Cooper approaching, and admired Coopers short, curly brown hair, black eyes, and his build.

"So, Dr. Reid, where are we going to eat?" asked Cooper.

"I know a diner a few miles away. It's better than the cafeteria food, but I don't have my car today," Reid replied. He didn't want to run into his team. Not because he was ashamed, but because he wanted some privacy.

"I have mine, but I just moved in DC. You'll have to show me the way."

After ten minutes of driving, Cooper parked his car in front of the restaurant. It was a small diner where Reid and his team occasionally went to eat, when they had time to spare.

Inside the restaurant, the waitress showed them to a quiet booth, and handed them two menus.

To break the silence, Cooper asked, "What do you suggest?"

"Their steak is great. In fact, everything here is good," Reid replied.

"I hope I didn't offend you when I asked you out, this morning," Cooper said once they placed their order.

"Why would I be offended?"

"Because usually guys don't like when other guys hit on them, unless they're gay; and I still don't know if you're interesting in me, or if this lunch is just your way of apologizing for my shirt."

Reid appreciated Cooper's concern. Smiling, he replied, "No, I wasn't offended. Actually your invitation came at just the right time. And concerning my sexuality, I don't put labels on it. I've dated men and women in the past."

"Good to know. Personally, I'm 100% gay. What are you a doctor of, Dr. Reid?"

The waitress brought their food, and they continued chatting. Reid said, "You can call me Reid, or Spencer."

"In that case, you can call me Cooper."

"Ok, and to answer your question, I have three doctorates: mathematics, chemistry and engineering."

"Wow, you're a genius."

Reid wondered how he should reply. He didn't want to sound arrogant, or scare off Cooper; which was the usual reaction when he told people his I.Q. So, he said, "You could say that. You said that it was your first day at work?"

"Yeah, I'm from San Francisco. I moved to DC about a month ago. I'm Section Chief Strauss's assistant. This is my first full-time job, and it's a lot of responsibility."

Damn, I invited Strauss's assistant to lunch, Reid thought. Out of all the men and women who worked in his building, he had chosen the assistant to his boss's boss.

"Is this a problem? Technically, she's your boss, too," Cooper replied, feeling a little worried.

"No, it's not a problem. It's just that my team and I don't have the best track record with her."

Reid respected his Section Chief, but it bothered him (a little) the thought of dating or hanging out with someone close to her entourage. Cooper seemed to be a nice guy. Even though he works for Strauss, Reid still wanted to get to know him better.

Cooper drove them back to work, and parked his car in the parking lot. Before Reid opened the passenger door, Cooper asked, "Do you like Sci-Fi movies? The Ghostbusters marathon starts playing today. Would you care to join me?"

"I'd be happy to," replied Reid, without hesitation.

"Great. I'll call you later, Spencer," smiled Cooper.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

At 5:30 pm, Reid left work and went straight home. He took a quick shower and changed into something more casual. He still felt a little conflicted by the fact that Cooper was working for Strauss, but he decided to give Cooper a chance. Reid's job had taught him that life was short, and that whenever he could, he had to take his chances to be happy.

Reid met Cooper in front of the theater. They decided that Cooper would pay for the tickets, and that Reid would buy the popcorn and sodas. They enjoyed the movie. When it was over, Reid admitted to himself that he'd had a very good night. Using his profiling skills, Reid built a quick profile of Cooper: Cooper was smart. He liked to talk, but he was also a great listener. And more importantly for Reid, Cooper treated him like an equal.

"Are you hungry? I know a great place. I hope you like Caribbean food ?" said Cooper, smiling.

Reid hadn't eaten much, beside the popcorn he ate in the theater. His stomach felt empty. He didn't usually eat exotic foods, but he wanted to try it. Since he and Cooper had barely spoken during the movie, it would be a perfect occasion to talk more. Reid said, "I've never tasted it before, but I'm starving."

When they arrived at the restaurant, the owner came to greet them. He was a black man in his mid thirties. Reid watched Cooper greet his best friend and they exchanged a few words in Portuguese. Then Cooper made the introductions, "Spencer, this is my best friend Tiago. Tiago, this is Spencer." The two men shook hands.

"Nice to meet you, Spencer," Tiago said. He spoke with a brazilian accent.

"Likewise," Reid replied.

After Cooper said something else in Portuguese, Tiago showed them to a table. Once they were seated, Tiago headed back to his kitchen.

"Tiago is going to cook for us his specialty. So, I told him to go easy on the spice because even after 20 years in the US, he still doesn't know that his cuisine is too hot for the average American," Cooper laughed.

While they were eating, Reid and Cooper spoke about their respective lives. Nothing too personal or deep, but enough to make dinner interesting. After dinner, Cooper drove Reid home.

When Cooper had finished parking the car, Reid did something unusual. He kissed Cooper. Not a soft and gentle kiss, but a passionate one. He was glad that Cooper returned the kiss with the same intensity.

When the kiss ended, Reid asked, "Do you want to come in?"

Reid didn't usually ask guys to come in, but he wanted to spent the rest of night with Cooper. Strauss' assistant seemed a nice guy, and if they slept together, he was sure that he would be very attentive to his needs.

Before Cooper answered, he bite his lip. He was trying to figure out the best way to refuse to Reid's invitation nicely. Finally he said, "I'd love to, but... "

"But you realize that I'm not your type," Reid snapped, a little disappointed by this rejection.

Cooper looked into Reid's eyes and said, "No, actually, you're totally my type. You're a smart, interesting, handsome, and sexy man. I really enjoyed this date, but tonight I have the feeling that you're trying to forget something or someone and I don't want a one-night stand. Not with you."

Reid was touched by Cooper's honesty, and decided to be honest, too. He said, "You're right. Recently I was betrayed by someone whom I deeply cared about. That's why I accepted this date, but I want to spent the night with you, because I like you. The funny thing is … I'm not a one-night stand kind of guy. I'm looking for a real relationship. Let's just forget my stupid invitation, and start all over. What about a movie and dinner this Saturday?"

"Ok, that sounds great!" Cooper replied, grinning.

They kissed each other goodnight, and Reid climbed out of Cooper's car. Waving goodbye, Reid entered his building. He took a quick shower, then climbed into bed. He fell asleep easily, and for the first time in weeks, Reid slept very well.


	5. Chapter 5

After having finished his pile of paperwork, Reid cleared his desk and checked his watch. He went to the break room to grab a bottle of water. Emily was in the break room standing at the counter. Looking at Reid, she asked, "You don't have any plans for tonight, do you? Morgan's gathering the team to go for drinks after work."

"Sorry, I'm a little tired. As you know, I don't particularly like hanging out in bars," Reid replied, as he put the bottle in his messenger bag.

He had two reasons for declining Emily's invitation : Firstly, ever since he had overheard Morgan's nasty comments (in the gym), Reid had stopped socializing with Morgan outside of work. Now he only interacted in a strictly professional manner (with Morgan) at all times. Reid missed hanging out with the rest of his team, but it was the best way to handle the situation if he wanted to preserve his, as well as Morgan's job. Despite the anger and disappointment, Reid still respected Morgan as an agent and a team profiler.

Secondly, Reid had planned a home-cooked dinner for Cooper's return tonight. As Strauss's assistant, sometimes he had to travel with her. This week, Cooper had spent four whole days in NY city. Reid realized how much he missed seeing Cooper every day and decided that tonight he was going to move their relationship to the next level. Five weeks had passed since Reid had begun dating Cooper, and so far things were going great between them.

Smiling and lightly teasing Reid (hoping to get him to give up some info), Emily said, "That's too bad. It's been a while since we all hung out together … but I'm sure you have much better things to do, tonight."

Over the last month, Emily had noticed how happy Reid always seemed and the goofy smile he always made whenever he received a non-work text message. She was sure that he was dating someone (she knew that Reid was bisexual) and Emily was dying to find out more about who Reid was dating. Even so, Emily respected Reid's need for privacy because she was a rather private person herself. She didn't push him to answer.

"Well, I have to go," Reid grinned, as he left the break room and headed home.

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Reid raced home and got things started. As soon as Cooper came in, Reid greeted him with a searing kiss and asked when they finally stepped apart. "How was your trip ?"

"It was good, but I missed you. I brought home some gifts," Cooper smiled. He handed Reid two gift-wrapped packages and said, "Come on, open them," as he follow Reid into the kitchen.

Reid opened the first package and found an Empire State Building snow globe. It took him a few seconds to understand its meaning: While out on one of their dates, Reid had let slip that his mother collected snow globes. Actually, it was the only time that Reid had spoken of her. He wasn't ashamed of his mother's condition, but he was still a bit apprehensive about Cooper's possible reaction. Unsurprisingly, the people whom Reid had dated in the past had never taken that news very well.

His eyes still focused on the snow glob, Reid heard Cooper say "Ever since the first time I saw King Kong on TV, I've wanted to visit The Empire State Building. Yesterday, my dream finally came true. While I was there, I stopped by the gift shop. I remembered what you said about your mom collecting snow globes. That's for her. The other gift is for you." Reid unwrap the second present: an I (heart) NY mug. "So you can think about me when you're drinking coffee."

"Thanks, I love them," Reid replied, smiling gently and giving Cooper a short sweet kiss. He was touched by Cooper's presents. No one had ever brought him gifts just because. Even the people he called his friends sometimes forgot his birthday.

"You're welcome," Cooper grinned after the sweet kiss. "Something smells really good," he said, sniffing the aroma coming from the oven. After giving Reid a quick peck on the cheek, Cooper headed to the bathroom to wash his hands before dinner.

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While they were eating dinner, Cooper asked, "Are you still free on your lunchtime, tomorrow?" Reid nodded yes, and Cooper continued, "Tomorrow I'm checking-out an apartment and I'd like my boyfriend's opinion about it."

Reid was a little surprised to hear Cooper use the term boyfriend. Sure, over the last few weeks they had spent a lot of time together and Reid had begun feeling really close to Cooper. It made sense, but Reid hadn't been sure how Cooper felt about him because they still hadn't had sex yet. It wasn't because Reid didn't want to have sex with Cooper; it was because of those same ugly comments that Morgan had made.

Reid had known and trusted Morgan for years, but their friendship hadn't stopped the older profiler from sexually using and insulting Reid; so how he could trust this man (whom he had been dating for only a few weeks) not to hurt him emotionally ? On the other hand, Reid really liked Cooper. He was nice, smart, and funny. More importantly, he always respected Reid.

"I'll be happy to call you my boyfriend," Reid said, finally then they continued chatting throughout dinner.

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Afterwards, Cooper helped Reid clean up the dishes then they headed to the living room to cuddle and to watch Avatar.

When the movie ended, Reid raised his head and kissed his boyfriend's neck. To Reid's great satisfaction, Cooper responded very well. He began to kiss Reid and slowly maneuvering their bodies until he was on top of Reid. Everything was going fine until Cooper slid his hands under Reid's shirt. It lasted for only a second, but Cooper noticed when Reid's body went still. Immediately, feeling Reid's discomfort, Cooper pulled away from him.

They had made out passionately before, and both had decided to take things step-by-step until they were comfortable enough with each other. Reid had enjoyed the slow progression of their relationship, but he also wanted to have sex with Cooper. Reid felt embarrassed and couldn't explain his reaction, "I'm sorry."

"You have nothing to be sorry about. Please Spencer, look at me," Cooper pleaded until Reid faced him, "You told me that you had a bad break-up. I understand that you need to be careful."

"I thought I was ready to move on with you," Reid bemoaned. Internally, he damned Morgan for ruining his sexual confidence.

"Listen, I do think that sex is important in a serious relationship, but I only want it if you want it. You need time, and I hope you know that I'll never pressure you to do anything you're not ready for," Cooper gave Reid a gentle peck on his lips.

Reid smiled in answer to Cooper's statement. That's why he liked spending time with Cooper. The man always found the right words to cheer him up or to make him smile.

"Okay, it's getting late, and I have an early meeting with Strauss tomorrow," Cooper said as he stood and pulled Reid up with him. As they walked to the front door, he continued, "Thanks for a great dinner and a great night."

Cooper grabbed his coat and keys then wrapped his arms around Reid and gave him an excellent good night kiss. They were both grinning happily as Cooper left and Reid locked the door.

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The next morning at work, Garcia presented a new case to the team. At the end of the presentation, Hotch ordered "Wheels up in 30." He then said, "Morgan, can I have a word with you?"

"Yeah, sure. What's up?" Morgan replied.

Hotch waited until the rest of his team had left the room then he looked directly into Morgan's eyes and asked, "What's going on between you and Reid ?"

Though Hotch didn't always approve when his team played childish jokes on each other, he was used to it; but lately, he'd noticed a Berlin Wall between Morgan and Reid. It was becoming a problem to the team's working dynamics.

Looking into his Unit Chief's stoic face, Morgan was sure that his past fuck-buddy antics with Reid were still a secret. So looking Hotch straight in the eyes, Morgan lied, "It's nothing. I mean … we did have a little disagreement, but it's nothing we can't handle."

The truth was that even though Morgan missed his friend and kept inviting the team out for drinks in the hope that Reid would join them, he refused to make the first step to repair their friendship. When he realized that Reid was being strictly professional with him, Morgan did the cowardly thing and left it at that. In some ways, he was relieved because he didn't have a discuss his closeted homosexuality.

"I do hope so! Otherwise, I'll have to intervene," Hotch warned. He hated having to threaten his team, but his job as Unit Chief was to assure his team's security. Hotch couldn't allow two of his teammates to be remain mad at each other, it could put the team at risk when out in the field.

"Intervene? What do you mean?" Morgan asked. He knew what Hotch meant, but he needed to hear it.

Hotch sighed heavily. He regretted having started this conversation right before a case but since Morgan asked, Hotch couldn't deflect his question, "You know that communication is key to our safety when we're out in the field. You and Reid are barely civil towards each other. I can't have that on my team. If I don't see a positive change very soon, I'll have no choice but to transfer one of you."

"You mean me," Morgan stated.

"You're a good agent, Morgan, and I value your work; but Reid is ..." Hotch faltered, searching for an acceptable word that wouldn't create further animosity.

"Yeah, I know. Reid is Reid. I understand. Can I go now?" Morgan said, eager to stop this discussion before he overstepped his bounds with Hotch.

Hotch nodded. As Morgan left the conference room, he made a promise that no matter how difficult or painful it was going to be he'd find the time to talk to Reid and try to fix things between them.


	6. Chapter 6

Morgan didn't have the slightly idea of how he was going to fix the situation with Reid. Friendship doesn't have a magic button that you can switch on when you screw up, and he had screwed up big time.

In the days following the locker room incident, Morgan had expected Reid's reaction followed by a heated discussion. At first, Morgan was relieved that there hadn't been any discussion between them. Sure, he felt the young man's coldness toward him and the professional tone Reid used every time he spoke to him; but Morgan thought that Reid would miraculously forgive him for his stupidity and that they could be friends again. Morgan was surprised how wrong he was, because it looked like Reid could hold a grudge forever.

As weeks passed and their friendship became more and more an old and distant memory, Morgan realized something. How could Reid ever forgive him if he had never apologized for his words and actions?

It had been the fear of being vulnerable that had prevented Morgan from offering Reid the proper apologize that he deserved, but the possibility of losing his job (the only thing that kept him sane) changed the order of Morgan's priorities. He was now willing to beg Reid for forgiveness and to try to fix the damage he caused.

Morgan had always considered himself as a good and competent agent, but there were thousands of agents just like him in the FBI, while Reid was one of a kind.

That was Morgan took Hotch's threat very seriously. There was not doubt that if Hotch thought that transfering Morgan would be good for the team, then he would not hesitate to do it. That made Morgan more determined to apologize to Reid before it was too late.

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It had been a long day and Reid needed a hot shower to relax his body before heading to bed. He stepped into the bathroom and turned on the shower. He adjusted the water temperature and let the warm water cover his body. Grabbing the soap, Reid ran his soapy hands over his wet body and quickly found himself getting aroused. His cock began to harden from the simulation of simply showering.

This was nothing unusual; but tonight, instead of ignoring it, Reid decided to take care of himself and take away the stress of the day. He began slowly stroking up and down his shaft with his left hand, as he placed his other hand on the shower wall to lean and to support himself. Reid closed his eyes. Images of Cooper kissing or touching his body immediately invaded his mind, which turned him on even more. Wrapping a firm hand around his aching length, Reid squeezed harder and pumped faster, as he began to feel the pleasure building inside him.

"Fuck!" he groaned, as he came. Reid finished showering and put his pajamas on then he brushed his teeth and he exited the bathroom heading to bed.

As Reid slid in between the sheets, he thought about Cooper; but not in a sexual way this time. Reid knew that he could easily fall in love with Cooper. How could he not? Cooper had every quality that Reid was looking for in a life partner. He was smart, fun, gorgeous, and kind; maybe too kind.

It seemed crazy to qualify Cooper's kindness as a fault, but Reid wasn't used to be treated so well. Most of the people he had met in life had bullied him; some even took advantage of his brain. Even Reid's friends/co-workers treated him like their annoying little brother. Because of these reasons, Reid never had a true chance to be himself around people.

With Cooper, it was different. He really had the feeling that he was important in his boyfriend's eyes. As he continue his introspection, Reid's thoughts were interrupting by a knock on his door. He recognized Morgan's drumming. He checked his phone, but he didn't have any missed calls or text messages, so he knew that Morgan was here for personal reasons.

After few seconds of reflection, Reid finally decided to ignored Morgan. It wasn't the bravest decision to make; but he knew that he couldn't deal with Morgan without anger so Reid stayed in bed, closed his eyes, and slowly started falling asleep.

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The next morning, when Reid was alone working on the geographic profile, he heard Morgan ask, "Did you finish the geographic profile?"

"Not yet," Reid replied, as he turned around to see Morgan holding two cups of coffee.

"I knocked at your door, last night," Morgan said, as he set a mug of hot coffee on a table in front of Reid.

"I was probably asleep," Reid lied, and Morgan knew it.

"Reid, I know you… " Morgan started; but Reid firmly cut him off, "As you can see, I'm busy; and even if I wasn't, I don't want to hear you. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have work to do." Reid then turned his attention back to the map.

Morgan resisted the urge to force Reid to listen to him and decided to leave him alone; for now.

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After six days of working intensely, the team and the Detroit PD made a big break in the case. They finally identified the UnSub, who had kidnapped, tortured, and killed the previous victims. The team had hoped to rescue the most recent two women who had been kidnapped; unfortunately, they were too late. When the UnSub heard the police sirens and saw the patrol cars racing down his street, he created a gas leak and ignited it. The explosion killed the Unsub, as well as the two innocent women. The team was shocked. They hadn't profiled that the UnSub would ever do such a thing. This was even beyond suicide by cop.

During their flight back to DC, the team was trying to figure out if they had missed something that could have prevented such a tragic ending.

Usually after a such case, Reid liked to be left alone for a while; but this time he called Cooper and asked him if he would come over. During the case, Reid had found himself thinking a lot about Cooper. In order to have a healthy relationship with him, he decided to face his fears. After years of loneliness, Reid finally had a chance to be happy; and he wasn't going to mess it up by being struck in the past.

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As soon as Reid got home, he showered and changed; then he checked his bedroom. He made sure that his sheets were clean, and that he had enough lube and condoms for the night. He wasn't sure where things would lead to with him and Cooper, but he wanted to be prepared.

When his doorbell rang, Reid was a still a little nervous. Smiling and thinking that it was Cooper, Reid opened the door without first checking through the peephole. His smile quickly faded away when he saw Morgan standing there.

"What do you want?" demanded a very surprised Reid.

"I just want to talk to you," replied Morgan.

"Talk to me, or fuck me?" Reid asked angrily.


	7. Chapter 7

A little shocked by Reid's reaction, Morgan quietly replied, "I just want to talk."

"You have five minutes," Reid warned, as he opened his door to let Morgan enter.

Having rarely seen or heard Reid in such an angry state, Morgan entered the living room. He recited to himself his apology speech that he'd been working on during the past days and said, "Reid, I'm really sorry for the way I used you. After Los Angeles, I was having a hard time. I know that I was using you, just so that I could feel better for a little while; and I'm sorry that you heard me in the gym."

"Are you sorry for what you said, or are you sorry that I heard you?" Reid asked calmly, and then added, "You know what? I don't care. I know you're here because Hotch threatened to transfer you."

Morgan couldn't argue with that. Hotch's threat was the only reason for him being there trying to apologize; but he did want to try to explain his words, "I never meant to hurt you, Reid. Those words just came out of my mouth."

"And one of those words was fag, which I find very interesting. I'm not surprised though, because closeted gays are statistically the most homophobic people."

"I'm not gay!" Morgan shouted, as he took two steps toward Reid.

For the first time in all the years that he had worked with Morgan, Reid was suddenly afraid of his co-worker. Morgan quickly stepped back when he noticed the panic in Reid's eyes. Morgan tried to appear less threatening. "I'm not proud that I used a word like that. I never intended to disrespectful you. I'm truly sorry, Reid. Please, forgive me." he apologized as he continued trying to calm down.

Reid chuckled because he could not believe Morgan's lame excuse. "You insult me using hateful words, but you still respect me. The funny thing is that no matters how many times you say that you aren't gay, you're the one who initiated things between us; you're the one who kept coming here for fucking me! You and I both know it, so don't even try to pretend otherwise. Let me ask you something. Do you really think you could forgive me if I had said something derrogative about you being black or metis ?"

"Probably, not," Morgan said, as he felt and sounded ashamed of himself.

"So you should be able to understand that I can't stay friends with someone who uses words like that," Reid said. As he looked his watch, he added, "Your time is up. I'm expecting someone, so please leave."

Morgan was just about to say something when the doorbell rang. Reid opened the door, and this time it was Cooper. He walked in smiling and carrying a couple of bags of chinese food. When he saw Morgan standing there, he said "Sorry, I didn't know that you had a guest; otherwise I'd have brought more food."

"It's okay, Morgan's leaving now," Reid replied firmly, as he looked straight into Morgan's eyes.

Reid wasn't going to introduce them to each other so Morgan put a big bright smile on his face and extended his hand to Cooper, "Hi! I'm Derek Morgan. I work with Spencer."

Cooper already knew who Morgan was, but he had never met him personally. "Hi! I'm Cooper O'Neill," he said shaking Morgan's hand.

"And you're ….?" Morgan asked half curious and intrigued. He knew that he had seen this man before, but he couldn't remember from where.

Knowing that Reid liked to keep his private life and his professional life separated, Cooper didn't know what to reply; but Reid quickly answered for him, "He's my boyfriend."

Morgan did his best not to appear too surprise. As Cooper began to feel the tension increasing between the two co-workers, he said "Agent Morgan, it was a pleasure to meet you. Excuse me, I'm going to set up our dinner." Cooper smiled at Reid and headed into the kitchen.

"I'm done talking to you. Now leave!" Reid ordered.

"I didn't know you were dating anyone," Morgan tried to smile a little. "Reid, please forgive me. I know I failed you, but I'm truly sorry. I promise I'll make it up for you."

"Let me make this clear to you. First, my private life is personal. Just because you used to fuck me, doesn't mean that you have a right to know anything about it. Second, as I said before, you don't care about our friendship. You're only here because of Hotch's threat but don't worry about your job, Morgan. I'll talk to Hotch and tell him that we're good," Reid said, coldly. As a small smile appeared on Morgan's face, Reid continued, "I'm not doing this for you. I'm doing this for the team. Our friendship, or call it what you want, is dead! On the job or in the field, you're my co-worker; but outside of that, you'll just be a stranger to me. Now leave!"

Reid opened his door. Morgan saw that there were nothing that he could do or say that was going to change Reid's mind. As soon as Morgan stepped out the door, Reid slammed the door behind him.

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Reid entered the kitchen and gave an apologetic look to Cooper, who was placing two plates of chicken with noodles on the kitchen table. Reid was furious at his co-worker because he was afraid that Morgan's visit had ruined the mood between him and Cooper. Reid was sure that Cooper had heard the "fuck me" part of the argument, and he didn't know how to explain it.

"I hope Chinese is okay?" Cooper asked quietly.

"Yeah, but you know I'm hopeless with a pair of chopsticks," Reid replied, just as quietly.

"I know," Cooper said, as he smiled at Reid and waved him over to the table.

Reid was glad that there was a fork placed next to the pair of disposable chopsticks. They both sat down and began digging into their meal.

"Wow! I'm impressed," Reid said, as he watched Cooper eating with the chopsticks.

"Back in San Francisco, I lived near to Chinatown. I'll teach how to use them someday," Cooper answered after he swallowed his food.

They finished eating in silence. Then they cleaned the kitchen and retreated in the living-room with popcorn and sodas.

"I'm sorry," Reid apologized, as he sat down on the couch.

"About what?" Cooper asked, as he looked up at Reid.

"About Morgan. I didn't invite him here. He just showed up. I thought it was you when I opened the door," Reid answered.

"You don't have to apologize, Spencer. I can't say that I'm not intrigued by what I heard earlier, but it's fine if you don't want to talk about it," said Cooper, as he took a drink from his glass of coke.

"So, what movie did you bring for tonight?" Reid asked. He was happy to avoid a discussion about his relationship with Morgan. "Last time we watched Avatar. So, I though we could watch my favorite James Cameron movie, 'Titanic'."

"'Titanic'? You're kidding, right? I already washed three hours of my life away when I first saw it," Cooper laughed.

"It's 193 minutes, and I apologized for my unforgivable mistake," Reid smiled.

Cooper was a true cinephile, who like all kinds of movie. He owed more than 1,000 dvds. When Cooper learned that Reid (the most intelligent person he had ever met) had never even heard of Kubrick's 'A Clockwork Orange', he decided to share his passion with Reid.

Reid liked their movie nights because he always learned new things, and he got to spent quiet time with Cooper.

"Emily told me that one of her friends wanted to rent out a condo. I thought of you, since you still didn't have your own place. I have her number if you're interested," Reid stated.

Because of the case in Detroit, Reid didn't get to see the other apartment that Cooper had done to see; but according to Cooper, the landlord and neighbors were borderline racists and homophobics. Plus, the rent was too high for Cooper's small salary; so he was still living with his best friend.

"Of course, I'm interesting. I like Tiago, but I need my own place," Cooper confirmed before adding, "To answer your question, I brought Terminator 2: Judgment Day."

"Is it ok if we watch something else?" Reid asked, suddenly feeling very uncomfortable. The film reminded him of painful memories. Reid was 11 years old when the movie originally came out, and he didn't see it. But a few people, who knew about his mom's illness, made fun of him when they did go to see that movie.

"Of course, we can. I brought some other movies. We can choose together," Cooper responded, as he grabbed his bag and pulled out a few dvds.

"My mom is a paranoid schizophrenic, and she lives in a Las Vegas' sanitarium. She wasn't violent, but she needed more than I could do for her. I couldn't manage her on my own, so I had to commit her," Reid stated quietly.

Reid had never told anyone this soon about his mother's condition, but he felt that he was already keeping too many things from Cooper; and Reid wanted to have an honest relationship with him.

"I definitely understand why you don't want to watch this movie," Cooper replied easily.

Reid was a little surprised about Cooper's reaction, or rather his lack of reaction. Reid had just admitted that his mother was mentally ill; but it didn't seem to bother Cooper, at all.

Cooper noticed Reid's surprised expression and said, "You seem surprised?"

"Yes, I am. In my previous relationships, when I mentioned my mother's condition, I could see confusion or fear in their eyes; and it wasn't long afterwards that they all broke up with me," Reid explained, still surprised.

"You're not the only one with a special parent," Cooper said, as he looked away from Reid's eyes. "My father is, (or was, because I don't know or care if he's still alive) a very violent, racist, and homophobic man. When he found out that I was gay, he nearly killed me; so I'll be the last person to judge you because of your parents."

Without thinking about it, Reid moved closer to Cooper and kissed him passionately then he reached up and undid the top buttons on Cooper's shirt and began kissing his neck. As Cooper returned the kiss with the same passion, Reid gently slid his hand up his boyfriend's inner thigh and caressed his hard-on.

"Cooper, I want you," Reid whispered into Cooper's ear.


	8. Chapter 8

"Spencer, I thought you wanted to wait," Cooper replied, while trying to ignore Reid's lips on his skin.

When he first started dating Reid, Cooper was well aware that Reid was with him mostly to forget his previous relationship. At first, Cooper didn't really mind; but then he began to develop deep feelings for the genius, and the last thing that he wanted was to be Reid's rebound guy. Thanks to having overheard the earlier conversation between Morgan and Reid, Cooper realized that Morgan was Reid's ex. Now, Cooper wondered if that argument was the reason that Reid now wanted to make love.

"Well, I changed my mind," Reid smiled, continuing to kiss Cooper's neck, but then he realized that his boyfriend wasn't responsive anymore. Suddenly feeling uncomfortable, Reid asked, "Did I do, or say something wrong?"

"No, no," Cooper reassured.

"So what's the problem? You don't want me," Reid asked, his voice full of worry.

"Spencer, you know I want you. What I don't want is us rushing things," Cooper said carefully hoping to avoid having to mention his suspicions.

"All this week while I was working the case, I thought a lot about you; and now I know I'm ready for you, for us," Reid stated.

"You thought about me?" Cooper asked. He was very surprised about that.

Reid blushed and stammered, "I masturbated thinking about you … a lot."

Touched by Reid's blushing confession, Cooper kissed him deeply and asked, "You're sure about this?" Reid nodded a  _yes_

"Then show me your bedroom," said Cooper, as he stood and raised Reid with him.

\----

As soon as they entered the bedroom, a very in-charge Reid pushed a fully dressed Cooper up against the wall. He quickly removed Cooper's shirt and tossed it on the floor next to his bed. Once his boyfriend was shirtless in front of him, Reid noticed a few burn marks and cuts on Cooper's muscular torso. A part of Reid wanted to know where exactly those scars had come from; but with Cooper's earlier words about his father's violent temper, Reid was pretty sure about their origins.

Reid kissed his way down Cooper's chest and his six-pack abs; but Cooper stopped him and pushed Reid onto the edge on the bed. Now, Reid's shirt was pulled over his head and tossed to the floor. Cooper kissed his lover's chest and slightly bit his nipples. Cooper knelt between Reid's legs and began undoing his trousers.

"Cooper, you don't have to ..." the genius weekly protested, but Cooper finished unbuckling Reid's belt and opened his pants. As he pulled them down, Reid raised up allowing Cooper to pull down his pants and boxers until they fell to his ankles. Cooper smirked and said, "You're not the only one with dirty thoughts, so please shut up and enjoy yourself."

It wasn't the first time in Reid's life that someone told him that; but somehow, this time he gladly shut his mouth and enjoyed Cooper's attentions.

Though Reid had given many guys a blowjob, he had never received one. He watched closely, as Cooper wrapped one hand around his length and stroked up and down. Then Cooper's other hand began caressing his balls and fisting his cock. As Reid quickly hardened, Cooper smiled and said, "I knew that you didn't  _just_  have a big brain."

Reid had been watching and thinking, but was too turned on to laugh. Looking into Reid's eyes, Cooper slowly lowered his head and took all of Reid's cock into his mouth. Reid's thinking came to an abrupt halt. He moaned loudly, "Oh … Fuck!" Reid began caressing Cooper's bobbing head and watching him sucked his dick, "God, Coop. Feels so good!"

Hearing Reid's words and moans of pleasure made Cooper sucked harder, while he stroked his own erection through his pants. It wasn't long before Reid grabbed Cooper's hair, closed his eyes, and screamed, "Fuck, Coop! I'm gonna cum!" Forcing his cock deeper into Cooper's throat, Reid screamed Cooper's name as he shot his load.

When Reid finally came down from his orgasm, he opened his eyes and smiled. He leaned over and gave Cooper a slow deep kiss, and said, "Cooper, it was amazing."

"I like it better when you call me Coop," Cooper smiled.

Reid looked down at his boyfriend's still hard cock and muttered, "Can I, you know, return the favor?"

Cooper gave him a quick kiss, "Only if you want."

Reid pulled Cooper up into a sitting position. While kissing Cooper's throat, Reid used one hand to unbuttoned Cooper's shirt and his other hand to caress him through his pants. "Take off your shirt," Reid whispered as he undid Cooper's belt and pants. Reid pushed Cooper down on his back and swiftly removed his pants and boxers.

Reid got hard again just looking at Cooper's beautiful weeping cock that was ready to explode any second. Reid skillfully licked and sucked and ran his teeth gently up and down reveling in Cooper's increasing moans of pleasure. After a few moments of intense sucking, Cooper came violently down Reid's throat while screaming his name.

\---

As they remained in bed exploring each other's naked body, Cooper asked, "What do you like?"

"Are you asking if I'm a top or bottom?" Reid replied. Cooper nodded, yes.

Reid was a little nervous having to talk about his past sexual partners, "I slept with men and women, and every experience was different; but they were all far more experienced than I was at the time. Most of the men I slept with were one-night stands, so it was never something I discussed with them. The others dated me because I didn't threaten their masculinity."

"So you're always the bottom," Cooper stated gently. He knew that Reid's felt nervous, so he told him, "Spencer, baby, you don't have to be nervous or shy with me when we talk about sex. Trust me, I had a wild sex life; so, I'm not easily shocked. Personally, I like it both ways. If you want to try something, just say it; and we talk about it. Ok?" Cooper sucked Reid's earlobe and whispered, "What do you want, Doctor Reid?"

Reid was silent for a few seconds. Finally, with a bit of hesitation, he said, "I want ... I want to be inside of you."

"Ok," Cooper replied easily, as he stroked his hand through Reid's hair.

"Are you really sure? Because I've never topped before, and I don't want to hurt you," Reid asked. He was very surprised. He had always presumed that Cooper was a top. That's why Reid was a little nervous about have sex with him. Reid didn't want to believe it, but deep down he was afraid that Cooper was the same kind of top as Morgan was. After the fantastic blowjob Cooper gave him, Reid was glad that he wasn't like Morgan.

"I trust you," Cooper reassured, then sweetly kissed Reid's lips.

Even if he wasn't the most experienced person on the planet, anal sex wasn't a mystery for Reid. A couple of years ago, he had dated a woman who mostly enjoyed this kind of sex. He had learned several things, but they only worked with women; and given his history with men, he had never had the chance to expand his knowledge about what do as a top. He decided to follow his instincts.

Reid pulled out a bottle of K-Y jelly and a condom from his drawer. He asked Cooper to get on his hands and knees. Reid positioned himself behind Cooper and poured a generous amount of liquid on his fingers. Gently, he worked one finger into Cooper's entrance.

Cooper gave a low moan and said, "Fuck, feels so good. Please, baby … more!" as he buried his face into the pillow.

Reid added another finger scissoring his lover, before adding a third finger. "Coop, are you're ready for me? I want you so bad." Reid had wanted to prolong the teasing, but his cock was so hard now that it was beginning to hurt. The last few days he had jerked off a lot while thinking of Cooper. Though, he had never expected to be in charge, he couldn't wait any longer to be inside of him.

Cooper groaned, "Yes, baby, please! Fuck me!"

Wasting no time, Reid put on the condom and lubed it up. Slowly, he pushed the head of his cock into Cooper's opening. Reid kept pushing slowly until he was fully inside of Cooper. He held onto Cooper's hips and bent over to kiss the ugly scars on his lover's back, as Cooper groaned pushing himself back against Reid's cock. With slow thrusts, he whispered, "Coop, you're so tight."

Being inside of Cooper was a great experience for Reid but he wanted more. He wanted to see Cooper's face, kiss his lips, and feel his touch. Pulling all the way out, he lay his lover down and turned him over. Reid moved on top of Cooper and he re-entered him. While kissing Cooper, Reid slid one hand between their bodies and stroked his lover's cock in sync with his pounding. Their breathing increased, and their moans came faster and louder … Cooper shouted, "FUCK!" releasing his fluids over his lover's hand. Reid's thrusts became more forceful. He began slamming into Cooper harder and faster until he cried out as he came.

Completely exhausted, Reid collapsed onto Cooper's chest. It was a few seconds before he could find the strength to roll over onto his back and take care of the used condom. Cooper wrapped his arms around Reid and they lay there silently, as their breathing slowed down. Reid looked at his alarm clock and noticed that it was barely 10 PM. He wasn't sure if Cooper wanted to leave or stay, so he asked quietly, "Do you want to stay the night?"

Cooper gave Reid a sweet kiss and said, "Yeah, I'd loved to."

\----

Hours later, Reid woke up when he heard a noise and switched on his bedside lamp. He saw Cooper pulling on his boxers and couldn't understand why he was leaving. Last night had been great. After they made love for the first time, they decided to watch a movie. While they watched it, they made love again. Reid couldn't understand why his boyfriend was trying to sneak out in the middle of the night like a thief.

"Sorry, Spencer, I didn't mean to wake you," Cooper whispered, as he sat on the edge of the bed and kissed his lover.

"You're leaving?" Reid asked, full of disappointment.

"It's Friday, and unlike you, I don't have today off," Cooper smiled and stood up to continue dressing.

"It's still early," Reid whined, as he glanced at his alarm clock. It was almost 5:00 AM.

As Cooper continued getting dressed, he chuckled, "I know I'm 28 but I'm too old for the walk of shame. I need a shower and a new change of clothes."

"The walk of shame?" Reid repeated defensively. He was deeply hurt by that those words. His relationship with Cooper was supposed to be a new stage of his life. For the first time in years, Reid felt that he was finally dating someone who actually accepted him for the nerd/genius that he was; but he guessed that once again, he had made a bad choice in Cooper.

When he heard the hurt in his boyfriend's voice, Cooper silently cursed himself for using that stupid expression. He didn't know much about Reid's prior life, but he had the feeling that many people had taken advantage of Reid's gentleness and his kindness. Cooper did not belong on that list of people who had screwed over his boyfriend. He walked back over and sat on the edge of the bed again, "Baby, last night was great for me; and I didn't mean to imply that I was ashamed of you. I never was, and I never will be ashamed for you. You know that I can't show up at work unshaven, un-showered, and in yesterday's clothes, right?" He waited for Reid to understand him.

"Sorry, I misinterpreted your words," Reid smiled. He was embarrassed, but very happy.

Cooper caressed Reid's face with both hands, "You're my boyfriend, not my fuck buddy. Okay? I care about you, Spencer; and I take our relationship very seriously," Cooper finished with a kiss.

They made out for a few minutes before Cooper broke the kiss and whispered, "Spencer, baby. I really want to continue but I've got to go. See you tonight?"

Reid smiled and sighed, "See you tonight, and don't forget to bring clothes … just in case."

They both chuckled and Cooper promised. He kissed Reid one more time and then left.

\---

Though most of the time, she respected her friends' and co-workers' lives, Penelope Garcia couldn't deny that she was a noisy and curious woman. When she first noticed that two of her dearest friends were mad at each other, Garcia's first instinct was to try to fix the situation; but knowing Morgan and Reid, she decided to postpone her plans. As the weeks passed, she realized that the tension between the two profilers had only gotten worse. On the job, Reid was professional and civil with Morgan; but outside of work, he was totally ignoring Morgan. Garcia didn't know what the problem between was, but whatever it was, she was determined to fix it. She decided that now was the time to intervene.

Morgan and Garcia were the only ones on the team who knew about Reid and Cooper. She found out a couple of weeks ago. She and Kevin had been waiting in line to see a movie when she spotted Reid in the same line. He was with a guy and they seemed very close in a non-platonic way. Despite her instant desire to find out about this man, she tried to be discreet; but when Reid spotted her, he invited her and Kevin to join them. Before the film had even begun, Garcia officially adopted Cooper. He seemed exactly the kind of boyfriend that Reid needed. She didn't care that he was Strauss' assistant, but she could understand how their teammates might react badly to that news. Garcia promised that she and Kevin would not reveal Reid and Coooper's relationship until Reid decided to make it public knowledge.

"Hey, wonder boy, how was your weekend?" Garcia smiled, as she watched Reid pouring his usual morning coffee. She was pretty sure that he had spent his time with the handsome Cooper.

"It was good, thanks, and yours?" He replied, trying not to blush. For their three-month anniversary, Cooper and Reid spent most of their weekend in bed watching movies and making love.

"It was great until I realized that it's be a while since the team all went out together. So, what do you say to drinks, food, and dancing this Saturday at our favorite bar? Before you say anything, yes, JJ is going to be there." Garcia smiled and laughed a little. Even though Reid had brunch with JJ, Will, and Henry almost every Sunday, she was sure that he wouldn't be able to resist spending more time with their former media liaison.

Reid hesitated for a moment. He already had something planned with Cooper, but he could delay their plans for a few hours. After three months of being in a secret relationship, Reid was tired of hiding Cooper. He was ready to officially introduce his boyfriend to his teammates, who were also his close friends.

"Ok, count me in," he agreed, happily.

\---

"Hey, Baby Girl, what's up?" Morgan smiled, as Garcia stepped into his office.

"Hey, Hot Stuff. You're still coming Saturday, right?" Garcia replied, innocently, smiling back at him.

Professionally, Morgan was content. Reid must have somehow managed to convince Hotch to reconsider the threat of transfer, because their boss wasn't on his back anymore. Still, on a personal level, he felt extremely hurt by Reid's continued attitude. Morgan knew that he deserved it and that Reid had every right to treat him that way; but after nearly 10 years of friendship, being cutout of Reid's life caused Morgan great pain. Over a month had passed since his argument with Reid, and ever since that day things had deteriorated further.

Trying, yet failing, to sound casual, Morgan said, "Of course, who else is coming?"

"The team minus Hotch." Garcia answered, sounding a little disappointed.

"Oh, text me the time and place, and I'll be there," his smile was already falling, "We'll chat later. I've really got to get this paperwork done." Morgan pretended to focus on his paperwork.

"Bye," Garcia quipped happily.

As she exited Morgan's office, she thought  _Phase One Completed. S_ o far her plan to reconcile her two friends was working out perfectly.


	9. Chapter 9

As Reid was driving them to the bar, he thought that Cooper seemed nervous which was unusual so he asked, "Coop, are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm okay. I'm just a little nervous. I was thinking about the first time I meet my ex's parents. They hated me," Cooper chuckled. Changing the subject, he stated, "By the way, Trent is expecting us around 11 o'clock."

"Ok," Reid replied. When Cooper laughed, Reid asked, "What?"

Smiling at Reid, Cooper said, "Remember the last time you saw Trent? That was the first time you told me that you loved me."

Reid smiled and nodded. He was still a little embarrassed about that night. It wasn't one of the finer moments of his life, but it had turned out okay in the end.

Trent was one of Cooper's old friends from San Francisco, and he now owned a gay club in DC called  _"The White Rabbit"_. As soon as Cooper introduced them, Reid became curious about Cooper and Trent's friendship. Cooper hadn't been very chatty about his past life, sentimentally nor sexually; but he had told Reid that it was open for discussion. Still, instead of asking questions, Reid started imagining all kind of things (past and present) going on between his boyfriend and Trent.

When he worked on a case out of the town, Reid knew that Cooper was (almost all of the time) at Trent's club, and that caused Reid to become very jealous of Trent. Reid had never felt jealously before, even though he had dated many beautiful and sexy people. He'd even once maintained a long-distance relationship.

Sure, in relationships Reid had always been mildly possessive, but never jealous. This time, Reid felt that he had very good reasons to be jealous of the club owner. Trent was charismatic and popular with both men and women. The very idea of Trent ever touching his man, Cooper, literally made Reid sick.

One night after a tough case, learning that his boyfriend was once again at the White Rabbit, Reid decided to go to the club to confront his imagined rival and was firmly going to order Trent to  _back off_!

Recognizing Reid, as one of his boss's friends, the bouncer let Reid enter the club with no problem. Reid spotted Trent and Cooper chatting at the bar. As soon as he reached them, Reid began a five minute uninterrupted tirade about how much he was in love with Cooper and was willing to fight Trent to make him back off.

When Reid finished his speech, both men started chuckling slightly. Reid felt so hurt by their reaction that he turned and rushed out of the club. He wandered around for hours. Finally, when he went back to his apartment, he found Cooper there waiting for him. Still furious, Reid was about to yell at Cooper and even broke up with him; but Cooper spoke first and told Reid two things that immediately calmed him down.

One, Trent never was and never will be Cooper's lover. Despite his being the owner of a gay club, Trent was straight as an arrow. Two, the only reason that Cooper and Trent had laughed was because minutes before Reid had walked up to them, Cooper had just finished telling Trent how madly in love he was with Reid.

Reid had felt stupid after hearing his boyfriend's explanation, but he felt happy. This was Reid's first relationship where he really believed that his partner loved him. That happen a month ago and ever since then, Cooper continued to prove it to Reid every day.

 

\-----

 

At 8:30 pm, Cooper and Reid entered the crowded bar and spotted Garcia. As soon as Garcia saw them heading over to her table, she stood up. Emily, Ashley, and JJ seemed a little disconcerted as they watched Garcia give both Reid and some guy a hug, they noticed that the tech analyst seemed to be very friend with Reid's friend.

Clearing her throat, Emily asked, "Reid, who's your friend?" She was sure that she had seen him somewhere before, but couldn't place him.

"This is Cooper, my boyfriend," Reid answered Emily, then turned to Cooper and said, "You already know Emily and Ashley." Cooper gave a smile, a nod, and a handshake to both Emily and Ashley. Reid continued his introductions, "This is Jennifer, but everyone calls her JJ," Reid finished.

"Henry's mom, right? Spencer talks about you all the time," Cooper said, as he shook JJ's hand.

Emily and Ashley continued staring intensely at Cooper with the same question in mind,  _I've seen that man before, but where?_

Cooper couldn't help but notice their intense staring and said, "You're probably wondering where you've seen me before. We work in the same building. I'm Section Chief Strauss' assistant."

As Emily, Ashley, and JJ tried to hide their surprise (which they did not do very well), Cooper suddenly stated, "I'm thirsty. Does anyone want something to drink?"

Nobody responded in a timely manner. Luckily, Garcia came to his rescue, "Come on, honey. I know what my girls like." Then Garcia hooked her arm in Cooper's and dragged him to the bar.

Again, Emily was the first to break the silence, "So, you're dating Strauss' assistant?"

"Why? Do you have a problem with that?" Reid answered firmly. He hadn't meant to sound so irritated, but he didn't like the tone in Emily's voice. Reid took a deep breath and told them, "I know that it seems weird, but I do love him; so please be nice to him."

Emily, Ashley, and JJ nodded simultaneously. This was the first time that Reid had ever told them that he was in love with someone, and they didn't want to spoil his pleasure.

\------

Rossi arrived, and a few minutes later, Morgan showed up. The women and Rossi all welcomed Cooper and enjoyed themselves during the evening, but Garcia was disappointed. Her plan to reconcile Morgan and Reid had failed badly. Morgan spent the evening dancing with almost every available girl, or sitting at the table drinking beers; all the while, completely ignoring both Reid and Cooper.

"Hey, Hot Stuff! You okay?" Garcia asked, as she sat down next to Morgan.

"Yeah, I'm good," he lied.

Morgan still felt betrayed by his best friend, Garcia, because she hadn't told him that she had known about Reid dating Strauss' assistant. He was also now mad at the rest of his co-workers because they spent the evening talking, laughing, and dancing with Cooper. Even Rossi was getting along fine with  _Reid's boyfriend_!

"You should go talk to him," she shouted, as she subtly motioned towards Reid. They looked over and saw that their young genius was chatting with Rossi, but Reid was completely focused on the dance floor where his boyfriend was dancing with Emily.

"Why?" Morgan demanded angrily. He was unable to hide his anger about Reid. To Morgan, Reid had betrayed the team by sleeping with their enemy's assistant, and he didn't like the fact that he was the only one who felt that way.

 

\-----

 

When he finished his dance with Emily, Cooper decided to go outside to smoke a cigarette. As he was making his way towards the alley exit, someone wrapped their arms around him and pushed him up against the wall. Cooper didn't react aggressively because he recognized his aggressor. As soon as Reid's lips touched his, they began to kiss hungrily.

"What was that for?" Cooper asked breathlessly with a smile.

Back when their relationship became serious, Cooper had been afraid that Reid's shyness would be an obstacle. However, it hadn't taken long for Cooper to realize that even though his boyfriend wasn't a big fan of public displays of affection, Reid had a very dirty mind.

"Nothing, I just miss you … that's all," Reid whispered.

"No, you were jealous. I saw you watching me while I was dancing with Emily," Cooper told Reid, as he looked into his eyes.

"Sorry," Reid whispered, feeling ashamed of himself.

Ever since that embarrassing scene with Trent, Reid had discovered his propensity for jealousy; and he hated when he acted on it. His boyfriend never gave any reasons to fear for their relationship. Cooper was a friendly kind of guy, who liked to chat with people and meet new faces; but he never crossed the line between friendly, innocent small talk and flirting. Every time a man or a woman tried to hit on him, Cooper was very clear about his relationship status.

"It's your fault that I danced with her because you didn't want to," Cooper smirked playfully. He never supported jealousy but he had recently begun liking it in Reid. Cooper realized that Reid's jealousy was more a consequence of past insecurities than a desire to  _possess_  him. That's why Cooper had decided to reassure Reid in every way and every time he could. "Feel that?" Cooper moaned, as he pressed his growing erection against Reid's leg. "Two minutes with you and I'm already hard. Emily is a very gorgeous woman. I could dance with her or anyone else for that matter all night long without feeling for them what I feel for you right now."

"Really? Maybe I should reward you for that," Reid smiled, as he began undoing Cooper's belt.

"Yeah, maybe," Cooper smiled back.

 

\------

 

Garcia was Morgan's best friend, and he would die or kill for her. Yet, right now, he'd had enough of her and her unstoppable speech about his damaged friendship with Reid. He quickly excused himself from her presence to go relieve his bladder.

As Morgan was approaching the men's room, he overheard some guy moaning sexually. Shaking his head, he thought  _somebody's getting lucky_. Morgan had been in enough clubs and bars not to be shocked by what he was overhearing, especially since he was sometimes that  _lucky guy_ ; but then he heard a man's voice moan, "Spence, baby. I'm gonna cum." Immediately, Morgan recognized Cooper's voice.

Rushing into the bathroom, Morgan quickly entered a stall and locked it. He began imagining that it was his (and not Cooper's) cock that Reid was sucking. The thought of having Reid's soft lips around his cock again made him so horny that he couldn't take it anymore. Morgan undid his pants and stroked himself until he came.

 

\------

 

While Morgan was cleaning himself up in the stall, the door of the men's room opened and he heard Reid call out, "Give me a few minutes to clean up, then we can go."

When Morgan exited the stall, he saw Reid washing his face. With a disgusted sneer, Morgan demanded, "So you're fucking that bitch's secretary?" Up until then, Morgan hadn't felt like he was drunk, which he was.

Reid didn't respond to Morgan's verbal attack. He proceeded to grab some paper towels and dried his face and hands without paying any attention, or looking at Morgan's reflection in the mirror. That didn't stop Morgan from continuing his assault. "Does your boyfriend know about you and … me?" Morgan spat spitefully. He carefully avoided the word  _us_  because it would have implied that they had once been a real couple.

Reid remained silent. He was ready to leave the men's room, but Morgan was now blocking his way. Reid knew that Morgan never stopped when he was like this, so he finally replied, "I didn't tell him; but after your last visit, I'm pretty sure he figured it out."

"Fuck, Reid! You don't seem to realize that we could both lose our jobs if Strauss finds out. I've worked too hard to keep my reputation, and I'm not going to let anyone ruin it," Morgan was practically shouting. Then he put one hand on Reid's chest and was about to say something, but that casual touch revived in Morgan the same arousal that he had felt in the stall. In his drunken state, Morgan stopped talking and stared into Reid's eyes. He began fantasizing about what he wanted to do to Reid right now.

A few seconds later, Morgan came out of his reverie when he heard Reid's voice, "You know what, Morgan? You should call a cab. Go home and sober up."

Morgan noticed a look of pity in his co-worker's eyes and realized how pathetic he must look. Reid had never looked at him like that before, not even when he'd learned Morgan's darkest secrets. With a quickly whispered apology, Morgan turned and swiftly walked out of the men's room.

 

\-------

 

When Reid and Cooper arrived at Trent's club, the staff treated Reid like a king. The music was good, and yet he didn't have the heart to party. For the first time since that horrible locker-room incident, Reid felt a little sorry for Morgan. During the last three months, he'd felt anger and disappointment towards his teammate, but never pity. This was a strange feeling to have regarding Morgan.

Over the years, Reid had sometimes envied Morgan's social skills and his athletic abilities, but not tonight. Despite his own awkward traits (extreme shyness, a tendency to ramble, and trouble bonding with peers), Reid was glad to be who he was; compared to a man who'd built his life on lies, and lived with the daily terror that someone would discover the truth about him.

"What's wrong, baby? You want to go home?" Cooper asked, seeing that Reid wasn't having fun.

"No, it's fine. I'm just a little tired," Reid answered. They had only been in the club for less than an hour, and he felt bad for ruining the night with his sudden moodiness.

"Tell me the truth; do you want to go home?" Cooper persisted, knowing that Reid was only trying to please him by staying.

"Yes, but I don't want to ruin your night," Reid confessed.

"You're kidding, right? You're much more important to me than any night out. Look, I'm going to say good bye to a few friends; then we can go, okay?" Cooper smiled. He gave Reid a quick kiss and then rushed off, leaving Reid alone at one of the VIP tables.

 

\-------

 

A few minutes later, Reid noticed a group of three men moving towards him. Two of them were in their twenties; both were effeminate, had peroxide blonde hair, and wore very close-fitting clothes. They were following behind an older, seemingly elegant, and visibly rich man who was in his late forties. They walked up to Reid's table, and without being invited, the older man sat down.

"Hi, I'm Mike. Can I buy you a drink?" he smiled pompously.

Reid tried not to laugh at the man's lame pick-up line, and replied politely, "Thanks, but no. I'm about to leave."

"All by yourself? You know … I have a large house and a pool … where you, my boys, and I can have some fun together. I can compensate you for your time," Mike persisted, a little shocked that Reid appeared uninterested in his offer.

Outraged by the offer of money, Reid firmly stated, "I'm not interesting." He stood up to leave.

Just then, Cooper returned to the table. Smiling, he asked, "Are you ready to go?" Reid nodded  _yes_. Stepping towards his boyfriend, he had to pass Mike.

Obviously, Mike one of those guys who wasn't used to taking  _no_  for an answer. He never acknowledged that Cooper had approached the table, let alone had addressed Reid. In a tone, too confident and possessive, Mike said, "Come on, let's go. We'll discuss it."

Cooper had an idea of what had been going on, but he asked Reid, "What's he talking about?"

Before Reid could reply, Mike grandly responded, "I generously invited your friend to party with me and he refused. Maybe you can convince him otherwise, and you can come along with us. I mean … you're not my type, but I'm sure you're a good fuck. It's a tough economy. I'm sure both of you could use some spare cash."

Without a word of warning, Cooper grabbed Mike's hair and violently banged his face twice on the table. When he let go, the older man raised his head. Holding his bloody nose, he screamed out in pain, "You son of bitch! You broke my nose. Do you know who am I? I'll..."

Again, Cooper grabbed the man's hair and jerked his head closer. Still full of rage, Cooper growled, "I don't care who you are, asshole; but if I see you again, I'll break every bone in your fucking body. Understood?" Cooper jerked the man's head backwards and then released his grip. He stood there and watched a terrified Mike jump up and rush like hell out of the club. After releasing a deep breathe, Cooper calmly turned to Reid and smiled, "You good to go?"

Hiding his deep concern, Reid smiled and followed his boyfriend outside. He wasn't sure how to take Cooper's outburst. Sure, Mike had deserved to have his ass kicked; but that wasn't what was worrying him. It was the sudden violence and the rage in Cooper's eyes while he was hurting Mike.

All the way back to his apartment, Reid kept replaying that scene in his head. He came to two conclusions: He'd seen a new side of his boyfriend, and he definitely hated it.


	10. Chapter 10

Reid understood that people, like Cooper, who grew up in abusive environments had a higher chance of developing anger management issues than the rest of the population. Yet, during the three months of dating, not once had he seen Cooper angry or violent (physically or verbally) toward anyone.

Until that incident in the nightclub, Reid would have sworn that his boyfriend was the coolest tempered guy he had ever met.

There had been times in Reid's life when he had wished that he could beat up his bullies so he understood Cooper being upset that night but he hated knowing that his boyfriend had this level of rage inside him.

To find out if that was to be a one-time event, or something deeper, Reid decided to find out more about Cooper's past.

He didn't like the fact that he was secretly going to profile his boyfriend but anyway, he planned a romantic dinner at Cooper's favorite restaurant, with the hope that good food and wine would make Cooper extremely talkative about his past.

Unfortunately for him, the evening was a total fiasco because as soon as he began asking questions about family matters, Cooper completely shut down and remained silent during the rest of the dinner.

* * *

As soon as they got back to Reid's apartment, Cooper went straight to the bedroom and started pulling out his running gear.

"What are you doing?" Reid asked, as he watched Cooper changing.

"I run when I'm upset, and guess what? I'm upset!" Cooper stated while pulling up his sweat pants, "Add that to your profile."

Reid felt stunned by Cooper's harsh tone voice and cold glare. Reid knew that he had messed up badly. To his great regret, during dinner he had acted more as a profiler than a boyfriend. Nonetheless, he defended the rightness of his actions, "I didn't profile you. I only asked you questions about your family. I'm your boyfriend, so I think I deserve to know."

Cooper looked up from tying his running shoes and sneered, "You mean like I deserve to know what happened between you and Morgan? Or, why you have needle marks on your arm?" Cooper stood up and stated, "See, that's the difference between me and you. I understand and accept that you want to keep your painful memories to yourself. Obviously, I don't merit the same courtesy."

"That's not true!" Reid exclaimed, "Can't you at least talk to me instead of running away?"

"No! I can't, because I'm too upset to have a calm conversation with you. Don't wait for me. Goodnight!" Cooper said, as he walked out the bedroom and the apartment without once looking back.

* * *

A couple of days passed, and Reid hadn't seen or heard from Cooper. He realized that he would have had the same reaction if their roles had been reversed. Deciding to make the first move, Reid grabbed his phone and sent a short text to Cooper:  _"Hi, are you free for lunch today?"_

Five minutes later, he received the following reply:  _"Noon. FBI cafeteria?"_

Smiling, Reid texted back:  _"Ok, see you then."_

* * *

A few minutes before noon, Reid walked toward the cafeteria and spotted Cooper leaning against a wall, as he waited for Reid. Reid gave a small wave, and received a very short smile and nod.

Silently, they entered the cafeteria, grabbed their meals, and found a quiet booth. Breaking the awkward silence, Reid tried to look into Cooper's eyes and said, "I'm really sorry for the way I acted. You're right. Just because we're dating doesn't mean that we don't have the right to privacy."

Cooper finally met Reid's eyes and said, "Look! I understand how you feel, but you need to get this. There are things that I don't want to talk about, so you have to choose: Take me as I am with my secrets, or break up with me. All I can promise you is that if you stay with me, then I'll always be honest about my feelings for you."

Reid was shocked at the sudden ultimatum. It wasn't how he had imagined their reconciliation would go. Swallowing hard to strengthen his voice, he asked, "Do you need an answer right now?"

"No, take your time," Cooper replied, as he stared down at his meal and ate in silence.

* * *

On the other side of the cafeteria, Morgan, Garcia, Prentiss, Seaver, and Kevin were eating their lunch and watching the stiff conversation between Reid and Cooper.

"You think they're going to break up?" Seaver asked.

"No way! They're so good together," Garcia declared.

"Yes, but sometimes that's not enough," Prentiss stated.

Morgan sat quietly as the conversation went on a little longer. He didn't say a word, because he expected Reid and Cooper's relationship to end soon; and he didn't want to share that opinion with his colleagues.

After a while, Prentiss, Seaver, and Kevin excused themselves and headed back to work. Now that Morgan was alone with Garcia, he took his chance to ask her for a personal favor.

"Baby Girl, if I ask you to do something without asking any questions, will you do it?"

"It depends on what you want, Hot Stuff," Garcia giggled.

Morgan leaned closer and whispered, "Will you do a background check on O'Neill?"

Surprised, Garcia almost shouted, "What?" Lowering her voice, she asked, "You mean O'Neill, as in Reid's boyfriend?"

"Come on, Baby Girl. You don't found it weird that O'Neill is Strauss' Assistant?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

Garcia had previously wondered why Strauss had hired Cooper. In the past, the Section Chief's former assistants were all women of a certain age; or, freshly graduated Political Science Majors who used their parents' connections to boost their careers. None of that criteria fitted Cooper, but that alone didn't mean that he had something to hide. "Sorry, but I can't do that," she replied.

Even though Garcia hadn't known Cooper for a long time, she considered him as a friend and refused to hack into his personal life. It was one thing to use her skills to catch UnSubs, or to protect sensitive items about her team, but it was a completely different thing to spy on ordinary people's lives. Seeing that Morgan looked upset by her refusal to do as he had asked, Garcia took a deep breath and said, "I know you don't like Cooper very much, but you should give him a chance. He makes Reid happy, and he's a nice guy."

Morgan couldn't believe his ears. Penelope Garcia, his best friend, was taking some random newbie's side over his. Full of anger and without pausing to think, Morgan sneered, "A nice guy like Battle ? Don't take this the wrong way, Sugar, but you're not such a good judge of character!" Of course, he regretted those words as soon as they came out of his mouth. Quickly, he tried to apologize, but it was too late.

Garcia's eyes filled with tears. She jumped up and shouted, "Go to hell, Morgan!" then rushed out the cafeteria without looking back. Some agents turned and stared, but Morgan refused to look at his audience.

* * *

Once she was safely behind her office door, Garcia cried freely. She damned Morgan for talking about that guy who tried to kill her. She knew that Morgan was having a hard time accepting a new man in Reid's life, but that didn't explain why he'd been so cruel to her. Wanting to prove to Morgan that he was wrong (and against her better judgment), Garcia hacked into Cooper's FBI file:

_Cooper O'Neill, age 28, was born and raised in Nebraska. After he graduated high school, Cooper moved to California and worked in restaurants and nightclubs in, and around, San Francisco. Years later, he enrolled in SFSU, where he earned his Master's Degree in Public Administration. There were dozens of recommendation letters from his former college professors, various organizations, and the San Francisco Mayor's Human Resource Office. All the letters complimented Cooper's personality and his professionalism._

There was nothing incriminating at all. There weren't any arrests or any other type of trouble with the law. Satisfied with her background check, Garcia had pulled herself together and got down to business doing her real job.

She ignored every message, phone call, and e-mail that she received from Morgan. Garcia knew that she'd eventually forgive her best friend, but she was going to make him beg for that forgiveness.

* * *

Hours later, as Garcia was about to pack up and head home, she received a phone call from Erin Strauss. Garcia almost never received direct calls from Strauss, or a summons to her office. As she entered the antechamber to Chief Strauss' office, Garcia noticed that Cooper wasn't there. Taking a few deep breaths, Garcia knocked on Strauss's door and flinched when she heard a loud "Come In."

Seated behind her desk, Strauss coldly pointed to one of the chairs in front of her desk. Pulling out two files from her desk drawer, Strauss glared at Garcia and asked, "Miss Garcia, do you think that the FBI's resources exist to serve you personally?"

"No … of course not," Garcia floundered. She hated feeling like a child in the Principal's office.

"Are you sure of that? Because looking through these files, it would appear that you do!" Strauss pushed one of the file folders towards Garcia and continued, "These files detail all of your past infractions. They range from tapping into the FBI Network computers and playing online games with a person who ending up hacking into our database, to misappropriation of federal funding in order to buy unauthorized and expensive tablets for your team, as well as various other infractions of your position. I had looked the other way because you're excellent at your job, but now you've gone too far."

Strauss laid open the second file folder and pushed it towards Garcia, "You know what this is, don't you?"

Garcia felt ready to feint when she recognized an old legal document with her signature at the bottom. Several years ago, she got caught and arrested by the FBI, Garcia signed a deal with the District Attorney and the FBI in lieu of imprisonment.

"When you signed that document, did you (or did you not) fully understand and accept that in exchange for your freedom, you would only use your hacking skills to serve our federal government ?" Strauss demanded.

Garcia's throat felt too dry to speak, so she rapidly nodded her head.

Strauss glared even harder and continued, "So why, earlier this afternoon, did you hacked into The FBI database to read Mr O'Neill's personnel file?"

Garcia's first thought was,  _Oh, my god! I thought I cleared all traces of that. How the hell did she find out?_ Then it dawned on her that it was the FBI, who had originally caught her in the first place! She could barely pull herself together because the thought of prison horrified her. Her voice trembled badly as she rattled off, "Spencer ... I mean Dr. Reid ... he's dating Mr O'Neill ... and I wanted to be sure he was okay ... I shouldn't have done it … I'm so sorry …"

Using her full voice, Strauss almost shouted, "That does NOT excuse your actions! You are a Technical Analyst for the FBI, NOT a Private Investigator."

Fully aware of the power of the pregnant pause, the Section Chief silently glared at Garcia before continuing, "For everyone else's sake, I suggest that you keep the details of this conversation to yourself. I'm not going to act on today's incident; but this is your FIRST and ONLY official warning. Believe me, the next time you cross that line, I will NOT let it slide. Have I made myself clear?"

"Yes, Ma'am," Garcia replied, as tears rolled freely.

"You're dismissed." Strauss commanded, while staring straight into Garcia's eyes.

"Thank you, Ma'am," Garcia choked out and quickly scrambled out of there without looking back.

* * *

Due to the nature of his job, as well as his own peculiarities, Reid had never been able to make real friends of his own. The friendship and closeness between his teammates was a result of having an extremely dangerous and stressful job. They had some fun together but deep down; he knew that his co-workers didn't chosen him.

Though he trusted them and cared about them, Reid had never been able to be himself around them but these past three months of dating Cooper had truly changed his life.

He had never felt so comfortable and sure in the fact that he was loved; not just for what he could do (professionally or sexually), but for whom he was as a person. Cooper had become much more than just a lover. He was his friend and his confidant. Whenever Reid felt downhearted about his mom, or a tough case, his boyfriend was always there to comfort and to listen to him.

Reid was confident that Cooper's childhood abuse had made him more prone to violence when confronted with trouble and he had thought long and hard about breaking up with Cooper, but he didn't want to be like his own father who divorced his mom because of her illness.

Cooper deserved better than that; he was just a good person who been through a lot of pain in his life and Reid wasn't going to break up because his boyfriend  _maybe_  had some anger issues.

Fully aware that it might be a little difficult, Reid decided to accept Cooper and his secrets anyway. This was his chance at happiness, and he was taking it.


	11. Chapter 11

 

When he first found out about Reid's boyfriend, Morgan hated Cooper because of his position as Strauss' Assistant; though he knew that wasn't a good enough reason.

Sure, the Section Chief wasn't his favorite person, but she had fully supported him when he was Temporary Unit Chief then he soon realized that he felt jealousy coursing through his veins every time he saw Cooper touching Reid or laughing at Reid's lame scientific jokes.

He could admit that Cooper was good looking and charming, but he believed that Reid needed someone who could stimulate him intellectually. He was convinced that Reid's boyfriend would never be able to satisfy that need. He sneered as he thought,  _Cooper's job consists of making coffee, answering the telephone, and keeping Strauss's schedule updated_.

Within seconds, Morgan felt shame and regret. He felt mortified at what his mother would think of him and his elitist thoughts. His mother had labored for years working meaningless jobs just to keep a roof over their heads, food on their table, and nice clothes on her children.

The truth was that Morgan didn't really care about Cooper's job, or his personality, or his intellectual capabilities, he simply disliked Cooper but it wasn't his only problem.

Ever since that night in the bar when he had overheard Reid satisfying Cooper, Morgan could no longer be in the same room with Reid without wanting to fuck him then and there and he hated not being able to control his endless fantasies or his physical urges.

All his life, Morgan had always given the impression that he felt confident in himself both physically and sexually but ever since Carl Buford had abused him, he had never truly felt comfortable with his own body and hardly ever masturbated himself.

Of course, there were times when he did give in and masturbate simply to release the tension, but he had NEVER masturbated while thinking of anyone else.

Lately, Morgan regularly and constantly jerked himself off while fantasizing about Reid. He had tried everything he could think of to stop his raging lust (sex with women or men, working out, and spending longer hours doing paperwork in his office), but he always end up dreaming about having sex with the young man.

The constant arousal and jealousy were drastically affecting Morgan both professionally and personally. Every day, he felt irritated and snapped at people (without thinking), as he had recently done with Garcia. Many times, he had apologized for his insensitive and insulting comment regarding Battle. Morgan even offered to pay for a romantic trip for Kevin and her. Thankfully, she finally accepted his apology and forgave him.

* * *

Not wanting to distance himself for his team, Morgan agreed to attend at Rossi's house for a barbecue. It was a very sunny day but Morgan spent the majority of his time watching Reid and Cooper.

About a month had passed since that day in the cafeteria when Reid and Cooper had appeared to be on the verge of a breakup. Now, they looked like the happiest couple on earth.

As the party went on, and liquor flowed, Morga couldn't take it anymore and left Rossi's house. While he was driving home, he realized that he needed to get Reid out of his system, and he was sure that he had now figured out the perfect way to do it.

* * *

The Attila was one of the many gay-friendly sports bar in D.C. Most of the customers were straight men who went there to drink beer and watch sports on big screen TVs. It wasn't usually to see gay couples kissing, dancing, or having quickies in the restrooms.

That was why Morgan always choose this particular bar when he wanted to fuck a guy. If he were to run into someone that he knew, then he could always pretend that he was only there because of the beer and the big screens.

As soon as he entered the bar, Morgan ordered a drink, sat in a quiet booth, and waited. Usually, he didn't waste his time with waiting for anyone. He'd use his profiling skills and win over a guy who was willing to fulfill his needs. It never mattered if the guys were Asian, white, black, brown, tall, or small. As long as the guy like it fast and rough but tonight, he knew exactly for whom he was waiting for.

It was in this bar, a couple of months ago, that Morgan had seen a guy who looked a lot like Reid. He had the same lean frame and hair color, but younger and a little shorter than Reid. For a few seconds, Morgan had thought that it was Reid. At the time, he didn't pay any more attention to the look-a-like.

But now that his obsession and fantasies for Reid were out of control , Morgan figured that this FakeReid could be the solution to his problems.

If he couldn't have the real Reid, he could definitely have his substitute.

* * *

Morgan was on his second drink when FakeReid finally walked in and took at seat at the bar. The pyoung man looked around the bar, and for a few seconds stared at Morgan.

Ten minutes later, FakeReid finished his drink and he stood up, grinning at Morgan then headed towards the men's room and without a second thought, or hesitation, Morgan got up and followed him.

Luckily, no one else was in the men's room. Morgan stared at FakeReid, who stood there seductively licked his lips. Though Morgan knew exactly what the guy wanted, he asked gruffly, "What do you want?"

FakeReid grinned and stared directly at Morgan's crotch, "You already know what I want."

The FBI agent walked up to FakeReid, and none too gently, pushed him backwards into a stall. He locked the stall door then commanded "Face the wall."

FakeReid turned to face the wall. As he undid his pants, he asked Morgan, "Do you have protection?"

"Don't worry about that, Pretty Boy," Morgan replied, as he pulled a condom from his back pocket. He was already hard, and using his pet name for Reid was the clincher.

FakeReid's pants and boxers were already down to his ankles so Morgan ripped open the condom and pushed his own pants and boxers only as low as necessary. He slipped on the condom, lubricated it with spit, and began impaling himself into FakeReid's ass.

"Deeper … harder," FakeReid begged, as he panted faster and faster while jerking himself off.

Morgan grinned and hoarsely whispered, "That's it, Pretty Boy. Beg for my cock!"

It didn't take long for both of them to come at the same time. As soon as he caught his breath, Morgan pulled out, tossed the used condom in the toilet, and grabbed a hand full of toilet paper and wiped himself clean. Within seconds, he had zipped himself up, flushed the toilet, and unlocked the stall door ready to leave.

"Wait," FakeReid panted, as he turned to face Morgan.

"What?" Morgan barked.

"I know you enjoyed yourself. I can guarantee you an even better time if you want to come back to my place," FakeReid grinned hopefully.

Morgan wanted more time with FakeReid, so that he could keep pretending that he was fucking the real Reid. But he knew better than to get personally involved with FakeReid, so he growled, "No, I'm good."

"Ok, your call. By the way, I'm Mark. You know how to find me if you change your mind," FakeReid said before he leisurely strolled out the men's room.

* * *

Watching Morgan leaving the bar, Mark was sitting painfully in his car. His ass was sore but he was used to that. It was a collateral damage of his job. He grabbed his phone, dialed a number, lit a cigarette, and waited for his call to be answered.

"Yeah, it's me. I met your guy. Just like you said, he fucked me in the bathroom. No, he didn't want to come home with me... " Mark was cutoff by a lot of yelling on the other end of the line.

When the yelling died down, Mark continued, "Calm down. I hear you. Let me worry about the details. I know how to do my job. I'll call you back soon. You just make sure you have the cash ready, okay? Bye!"

Mark ended his call and smiled as he drove away. Yeah, sooner or later, he was going to be rolling in dough thanks to Derek Morgan.


	12. Chapter 12

**Disclaimer: I don't own Criminal Minds.**

**Happy New Year to everybody.** **I'm sorry for the long wait.**

**A/N: Thanks to my new beta RoseLaurel.**

* * *

The morning following his interlude with Mark, AKA 'Fake Reid', Morgan woke up for the first time in weeks without feeling the need to masturbate over Reid and prepared himself glad that his  _problem,_ as he called his attraction for his young co-worker, was finally over. When he pushed the BAU glass doors, he noticed Reid's empty desk and wondered where the genius was. He shake his head telling himself that it was none of his business and, after a quick greeting to his co-workers, he locked himself in his office.

A few minutes later he received a text from Garcia telling him that they had a case in Miami and joined his teammates in the conference room. As he saw Reid sitting next to Rossi, he realized that he still had dirty thoughts for the genius and cursed himself for fucking 'Fake Reid' - because screwing a guy who looked and tasted just like Reid made his arousal for the real one even stronger.

Thankfully, Garcia's voice explaining the case brought him back from his lustful thoughts into reality, and he decided to put all his attention on it.

* * *

In Miami, pairing up with Reid, Morgan started to notice changes in the young man's behaviour. For some reason, the genius seemed tired and a little jumpy. He tried to talk to him, but Reid eagerly replied that everything was fine. Though he knew that Reid was lying, Morgan didn't persist. After their words in the restroom's bar the older man noticed less animosity from the genius' part, and he didn't want to ruin his chance to be his friend again by starting a fight with him.

Morgan's fears were confirmed when Reid decided to face the Unsub without his bulletproof vest or backup. The Reid he knew would never do such a thing, especially not after the Hankel incident, and he was determined to have a chat with the young man to find out why he made such a stupid mistake.

* * *

Upon their return to D.C Morgan was heading to Reid's car when he witnessed a dispute between Cooper and Reid. He couldn't hear what Cooper was yelling but Reid's body language was defensive. Before he could intervene Reid climbed in his old Volvo and took out, leaving his very upset boyfriend in the parking lot.

As he drove home, Morgan had a bad feeling. He understood Cooper's reaction, hell, even Hotch had a tough discussion with Reid on the plane, but he couldn't help feeling worried for the genius and he decided to see if he was okay.

* * *

In front of his friend's front door, he knocked and waited. After few seconds, he knocked again, more loudly. This time, someone opened the door and Morgan was surprised to see Cooper, wearing underwear and a t-shirt.

"What are  _you_ doing here?" Morgan asked, unable to hide his surprise.

"I could ask you the same thing." Cooper said, but answered anyway "I live here. Spencer asked me to move in with him."

Morgan had a hard time believing that Reid asked his boyfriend of a few months to live with him. It enforced his feeling that something was wrong about the relationship. He passed Cooper to enter the living-room and demanded to talk to Spencer.

"Sorry, he's sleeping. I'll tell him you came. Goodnight." Cooper said showing him the door.

Morgan didn't moving and firmly insisted "I want to talk to him now."

Cooper looked straight into the FBI agent's eyes, without any sign of having even noticed Morgan's attempt at intimidation. "Like I already told you, Spencer is sleeping and I'm not going to wake him up because you want to talk to him in the middle of the night. Now, unlike you, I'm a welcomed guest in this home and if you don't want to leave, I can also call the cops then I'm sure that your boss will be highly interesting by your behavior."

The profiler could see that Strauss' assistant was deadly serious about calling the cops so he considered his options; he could stay right where he was and wait for the cops, which meant that Hotch and Strauss were going to ask why he was at Reid's house, or he could leave and call Reid later. To his shame, Morgan chose the easy solution and left, making sure to bump into Cooper's shoulder on his way out.

* * *

Reid woke up to a painful headache and an empty bed. From the noises he heard from the kitchen, he guessed that Cooper was taking his breakfast. After yesterday's fight, he was anxious about talking to his boyfriend, but since he didn't finish his action report, he decided to join him and started to get ready for work.

In the kitchen, Reid greeted his boyfriend and began to eat in silence. After a while, he decided to tell Cooper what he thought about his behavior. Before he could say anything, however, Cooper hurriedly apologized "I'm sorry I yelled at you last night. I overreacted... I don't know how to explain it ... I was worried for you because you didn't seem to be yourself lately and when I heard that you faced that sicko alone, I went crazy. I know it's not an excuse and I'm truly sorry about the way I acted." There was a brief pause before he tried to change the subject "Your friend Morgan came yesterday. He decided it was appropriate to knock down your door and wake me up at 1 in the morning. He said he needed to talk to you. You were sleeping so I sent him away. Needless to say he was rather unhappy."

The genius was surprised by his co-worker's late visit, but his mind was preoccupied by something that Cooper said and defensively asked "What do you mean by  _you didn't seem to be yourself lately"_

When his headaches started he hid them from Cooper, and his team, until he had more information. But now his neurologist had told him that everything was okay with his scans, he was terrified about people thinking he was crazy - especially, if they knew about his hallucinations in Miami. He just couldn't handle the thought of losing his job.

"You think I didn't notice that you've barely eaten or slept in days? You hate darkness but still you stay in the dark for hours. You're even wearing sunglass when you're inside."

"Who's profiling now? God, you're such a hypocrite! I can't ask you a single thing of your past, yet you have the right to question me? I've to go to work." Reid snapped, getting up of his chair.

He was about to leave the kitchen when Cooper stopped him

"What do you want?" Reid asked facing his boyfriend.

Until now, Cooper stupidly thought that Reid was fine with their agreement not to talk about his past, but now he realized that he was wrong. He knew that hiding secrets would be destructive for their relationship, and he didn't want that, so he decided to tell him the reason why his past was off limits "I know you're upset but please, listen to me."

After few seconds of reflexion, Reid simply nodded. He was still mad at his boyfriend's breach of privacy, but was willing to hear him out.

Cooper sat back on his chair and began to explain "I had a complicated past and I worked hard to put that behind me. Believe me, it wasn't easy, especially with my scars which act as a constant reminder. But, despite everything happened to me, I try to be a good man. Most of time, I think I am, but sometimes I snap. The reason I don't want to talk about my past, not even with you, the man I'm in love with is because I need to forget. My past is my past, I can't change it. But I want to focus on my future, and I want you to be part of it."

"You really mean that ?" Reid asked, little shocked. Of course he was happy with Cooper, that's why he asked him to move in with him, but they hadn't actually talked about their future together.

Cooper moved closer to Reid and ran his hands through his lover's hair "I have been in love before, but never as strong as I love you. Yesterday, I really thought that you were going to die, and it scared me. You're the most important person in my life. I love you so much and I don't want to lose you."

Reid wanted to tell Cooper why he acted this way, but he was still terrified that his boyfriend would leave if he knew the truth about the headaches and hallucinations. So he decided to keep his condition secret. At least, for now…

"Yesterday was an emotional, stressful day for both of us but you were right, I should be more careful on the field. I have to go, see you tonight. Love you." He kisses his boyfriend then left for work.

* * *

Drinking a cup of coffee in the BAU break-room, Morgan thought about the best way to approach Reid. He knew that his friend's personal life wasn't his business, and yet he couldn't ignore the bad vibes he got from Reid's boyfriend.

According to most people, including his team, Cooper was the perfect boyfriend. And even if he didn't already hate the man, Morgan could deny that Strauss' assistant was good for Reid, but since the precious night he started to wonder if Reid's boyfriend was actually the nice guy he pretended to be.

Even if he didn't have any proof that Cooper was actually violent toward Reid, Morgan's profiler instincts screamed him that there was something off about this guy. After all, how many men could keep their calm, and even threaten to call the cops, when an armed, pissed off federal agent shows up in their doorstep at 1 in the morning?

Confronting Reid and accusing his boyfriend definitely wasn't a good idea, so he decided to make sure his young co-worker knew that, even though he had been a shitty friend lately, he was there for him if he needed help.

Reid's entrance in the room stopped his thoughts as Morgan moved to greet him.

"Hi, Morgan." Reid returned, pouring a mug of coffee "I've almost finish my report but I didn't see Hotch, do you know where he is?"

"Yeah, Jack is sick so he took the day off. He asked me to take care of the reports." Morgan explained.

"Ok, I'll give it to you." Reid said, preparing to leave the room.

"Reid…" Morgan laid a hand on the younger man's shoulder "I know I betrayed your trust, but I want you to know I'll be there for you if you need to talk."

Reid didn't like Morgan's late visit to his home or his "I'll be there for you" speech. For some reason, the older man thought that he needed help and he had the arrogance to think that he was the best candidate for that task. This coming from the man who, according to his own words, 'betrayed his trust' made Reid chuckle.

"What's so funny? Morgan frowned

"You are. Do you really think after all it happened between us or the way you treated me, I'm going to come for you if I need something? Let me this it clear: anything not work-related is off limits to you." Reid stated before leaving the room.

* * *

Two weeks later, the team was in Toledo where a sadistic killer had already tortured and murdered three married couples. The case was a P.R nightmare, but the BAU agents were more worried about the Unsub's increasing attacks than they were by the medias' attention and spent the best part of their first night in the town reviewing the case until Hotch called it a night and sent everyone to the hotel.

In the hotel's lobby, the Unit Chief announced that due to the budget cut, they have to share rooms. While Prentiss and Seaver shared a room, Rossi and Hotch teamed up together, leaving one room for the two another men in the team. Of course, neither Morgan or Reid were thrilled by this sleeping arrangement but they both acted like professionals.

As the days passed, Morgan realized that what he hated the most wasn't the fact that he had to share a room with the man he sexually desired and couldn't have, but that he had to witness Reid's happiness every night, when the young man stepped in the bathroom to call Cooper and came back with a smile on the face.

When the team finally arrested their un-sub, they learned that, since the jet wasn't available until the next morning, they had to stay another night.

After eating with his teammates, Morgan decided to hit in the hotel's gym, just to avoid Reid's endless call to his boyfriend but when he came back in his hotel room, the genius was still on the phone and the conversation confirmed the older profiler's suspicions about Cooper's violent temper because he heard Reid telling his boyfriend that he 'was fine', that it 'was just an accident', and that he 'doesn't blame him'. All excuses he had heard a hundred times from victims of domestic abuse.

Moving slowly to the half-opened bathroom's door, he saw his co-worker's naked torso covered in fist-shaped bruises. Shocked and angry, he exited the hotel-room swearing to take care of Cooper himself.

* * *

Neither the night nor the time spent on the flight back did anything to calm Morgan. All he could think about was hurting Cooper and making him pay for what he did to Reid. So when he saw Cooper waiting for Reid, sitting on the edge of his desk, he moved closer to him and punched him hard in the face.


	13. Chapter 13

The FBI agent lashed out at Cooper again, but the young man blocked his fists and hit Morgan's jaw so violently that he crashed into Reid's desk.

"Son of a bitch! I'm going to kill you." Morgan yelled spitting the blood of his mouth but before he realized it, Reid's boyfriend pinned him against the desk and hit him again.

Cooper was stronger and faster than the BAU agent initially thought. Despite his judo black belt, Morgan couldn't use any self-defence moves he knew and took several punches in the face until the other BAU agents present in the bullpen pulled them apart.

As soon as he was free from Cooper's grasp, Morgan grabbed him by the collar and was ready to punch him but Hotch's anger laced voice, caused him to freeze in place.

"Morgan, what the hell is going on!?" yelled the Unit Chief from his office door, glaring down at the guilty agent.

Somehow Morgan managed to calm down quickly and, looking Hotch, he began to explain "Look, Hotch. He..."

"Save it. Go clean up and report to my office in 15 minutes!" the unit chief ordered, leaving no room for discussion. Begrudgingly Morgan follow his superior's command.

* * *

While he was cleaning himself, Morgan started to freak out as he realized this little display could cost him his job. Picking a fight in front of his boss' office (even if he had good reason from his anger) wasn't very smart move. Plus, Strauss will eventually know what happened to her assistant and she'll demand punishment.

He knew that Hotch would anything to protect his subordinates but he also knew that he could be merciless if they were messing with the Bureau's image.

* * *

Morgan knocked at Hotch's office door and anxiously opened it when his boss asked him to come in.

"Sit and explain yourself." Hotch ordered.

"I think Reid is in an abusive relationship." Morgan said as he sat then talked about the verbal fight he witnessed, how Cooper refused to let him see Reid afterward and finally, the bruises he saw on his friend's torso the night before.

Hotch carefully listened to his subordinate's story and asked intrigued "And how did you see them?" He had shared a room a few times with the genius in the past, so he knew that Reid wasn't the kind of guy who walked around half-naked.

"When I came in our hotel room, Reid was on the phone with O'Neill and I partially heard what Reid was saying. He was saying that it 'wasn't his fault' and all the bullshits you hear from the domestic abuse victims. Then I noticed the bruises."

"What did Reid said about them?"

"I didn't ask him… I knew Spencer was just going to cover for him. I'm sorry, but I lost my temper when I saw him with Cooper. I guess I wanted to teach him a lesson." Morgan grimaced kneading his hurt jaw.

"And how did that work out for you?" Hotch sighed looking at Morgan's swollen lips and the dark bruise forming on his jaw.

"Look, Hotch. I was worried about Reid. I just wanted to talk to O'Neill but when I saw them together I lost my temper, that's all." Morgan apologized

"It's not true and you know it." Hotch stated. Morgan opened his mouth but the Unit Chief cut him off "When you saw Reid's bruises, you could have told me about it but instead you waited until you came back here and assaulted O'Neill. You wanted to hurt him and I can't tolerate that. Give me your service weapon and credential."

For few seconds, Morgan stayed speechless but he quickly put himself together and begged. Even he wasn't above begging when it came to his job "Hotch, please, don't suspend me-"

"What do you want me to do, Morgan? Look at it this way, you assaulted a  _federal employee_  in a  _federal building_. Your exploit is  _on tape_." Hotch paused then let out another sigh "Even if Reid is in an abusive relationship, you have no excuse for what you did. We're FBI agents, not vigilantes."

"How long?" Morgan asked defeat as he got up and put his weapon and credential on his boss' desk.

"I don't know yet. I'll call you later."

Morgan could only nod before leaving Hotch's office. Then it was Reid's turn to be called up…

* * *

"What?" Reid yelled incredulously.

"Is Cooper violent with you?" Hotch repeated calmly.

"Of course, no. Let me guess, It's Morgan who tell you that and that's also why he attacked Cooper." The unit chief could see the anger flaring in his youngest subordinate's eyes, but he needed to get to the bottom of this as quickly as possible.

"So he's lying when he says that you have bruises on your body? Tell me the truth or I'll ask for a medical examination." Hotch threatened, sure that Reid was hiding something.

For a moment Reid was wondering how Morgan could have seen his bruises, and then he remembered that he had left the door of the hotel bathroom slightly open. He had thought that he was alone. Obviously that wasn't the case because Morgan managed to see him and concluded that Cooper was beating him.

He let out an exhausted sigh and said "You remembered the case in Montana." Hotch nodded "You made me stay at the police station while all of you handled the hostage situation. That night, I realized that I didn't have the same status than the rest of the team."

Hotch was a little hurt by his subordinate's statement. As a Unit Chief, he tried to treat everything fairly and equality but he had to recognize that he sometimes treated Reid differently because of his age and inexperience.

"Listen, Reid. I never.."

"I understand, really. It makes sense that you would prefer Rossi, Morgan or Prentiss to have your back than a guy who failed his firearms qualification in the past. Anyway, I guess it was a wake-up call for me. I'm a profiler but I'm also a FBI field agent. I decided to focus on the physical aspects of the job. I have been spending more time at the firing range and Cooper introduced me to a Krav Maga club. During one training session, one of the guys went a little too far and that's how I got my bruises. You can check with the E.R, if you don't trust me."

The events Reid detailed made sense, but there was still one thing Hotch didn't quite understand "Why did O'Neill blame himself? If he had nothing to do with your bruises why he felt the need to apologize?"

The young agent's anger subsided for a moment as a gentle smile took its place "That's the problem when person hearing half of a conversation, they tried to fill the blanks and usually they're wrong. Cooper felt guilty because he was the one who introduced to the guys. Can I go now or do have another questions?"

"No, you can go."

* * *

Back at his place, Morgan spent the rest of the day pacing and waiting for Hotch's call. His job was his whole life and couldn't imagine what the hell he was going to do without it.

When he heard his phone ring, he could feel his heart racing in his chest and he eagerly picked up.

"It's Hotch.. I talked to Reid and he denied been in an abusive relationship."

"And you believed him?" Morgan asked, wondering how his superior could be so easily lied to.

"He explained that he got his bruises because he was taking self-defence class. I checked his story with his self-defence instructor and the ER, he told the truth. O'Neill wasn't even in town when it happened." As Hotch explained, Morgan could feel himself deflating.

"What's going to happen next?" he simply asked ready to face Hotch's decision, whatever it may be.

"You're lucky, O'Neill doesn't want to press charges. But you are still suspended for three weeks without pay, and when you get back I want you to see someone for your anger management issue because if this even happens again, I fire you, understood?" Hotch warned and hung up as he heard Morgan's meek consent.

* * *

Morgan knew he had dodged a bullet, and decided to use his "vacations" to clear his head and go to Chicago to visit his family, but first he needed to apologize to Cooper so he went to Reid's place. No sooner had his friend opened the door Morgan was confronted with an angry glare.

"What do you want?"

"Can I talk to O'Neill? I want to apologize for my behavior." Morgan replied, his embarrassment clear on his features.

"He's not here. He decided to go for a run. He does that when he's upset, I guess that being accused to be an abusive boyfriend can be entered in that category." Reid stated.

"I'm sorry, I made a mistake. I just wanted to help you."

"Help me? You humiliated me! Do you realize how embarrassing it was to see you hit my boyfriend in front of all my co-workers because you thought he was beating me, _and_ to talked to  _Hotch_  about my private life? You're not the only one who cares about his professional reputation. It took me years to make people forget about my age and now, thanks to you, I became the damsel in distress." Reid growled, somehow managing to keep from yelling.

When it came to gossip and rumors, FBI agents could be worse than the High School teenager so Morgan understood why Reid was upset, especially because who was bullied in the past. It was then it dawned on him just how harmful his actions were, not only he was wrong but he had also put his friend, his best friend, in an awkward position "Look, I'm truly sorry. I thought.."

"You thought that the man I love was hitting me? Cooper has never laid a hand on me, and even if he had, I'm a big boy and I can take care of myself like I always did. The worst is that despite all of your experience as a profiler, you used wrong facts and convinced yourself that he was a bad guy but you were wrong. Sure, he has his flaws but he always treated me with nothing but respect, and I honestly can't say the same about you." Reid snapped before slamming the door in Morgan's face.

* * *

Morgan decided to wait for Cooper on the stairs. The more he thought about Reid's words, the more he had to admit that the genius was right. He didn't like Cooper so he made wrong assumptions about him without looking the facts objectively and felt ashamed for it.

He was doing the exact same thing he himself had suffered when he was younger. Many people assumed he was a gangster just because he was a black man living in a tough neighborhood and he swore to himself he would never judge someone basing on prejudice or his personal beliefs.

Morgan had been waiting for almost an hour when a taxi stopped in front of Reid's building and Cooper came out of it. He got up from the stairs and walked towards the waiting man.

"Agent Morgan, what's a nice surprise. You came for a second round?" Cooper asked sarcastically.

"Actually, I came to apologize. I thought that you were hurting Reid. Obviously I was wrong and I'm sorry about that. I also want to thank you for not pressing charges against me." Morgan apologized sincerity. He knew that if Cooper had pressed charges he would certainly lost his job.

"I accept your apologizes but tell me, your insane theory about me hurting Spencer was a pretext to attack me, right?" Cooper challenged looking in Morgan's eyes to let him know that he didn't buy his bullshit.

At this point, there was a little voice in Morgan's head telling him to go. After all, he did apologize like he intended so why stick around any longer? The thing was that he was curious to know that Cooper was implying.  
"What do you mean?"

"Come on, you didn't attack me because you're concerned about Spencer's well-being. You attacked me because I'm with the man you want. Maybe there was a part of you who thought that he was going to jump in your arms for saving him from me. I recognize it was a good plan, except that I never hurt him." Cooper stated, a faint amusement showing through his words.

"You're crazy. I'm not gay." Morgan scoffed clenching his fists.

"I know damn well that you and Spencer were more than friends at some point and I'm pretty sure he wasn't the only man you slept with..."

Cutting Cooper's sentence and hiding his inside panic, Morgan stepped forward, throwing a threatening glare at the man before him "I don't know what Reid said to you but don't repeat that to anyone or I'll.."

This time, it was Cooper who cut him off, grinning "You'll what? Hit me? I think we already established that I can handle you. I never gossip about someone else's life so don't worry, your secret is safe with me. The funny thing is that you accused me of hurting Spencer when in fact it was you who hurt him and I guess I should be grateful for that because thanks to you, I'm dating the most wonderful man I ever met and I'm going to do everything I can to keep him by my side. Anyway, I have to go. Goodnight, Agent Morgan" then with that, he walked toward Reid's apartment, leaving the startled agent dumbfounded on the staircase.


End file.
